MINNEAPOLIS (NBC, KYMA/KECY) – A 10-year-old is in custody after Minneapolis police said he drove a stolen vehicle recklessly across a crowded school playground.
Minneapolis police said officers responded to Nellie Stone Johnson School on September 20. Surveillance video shows the car driving on the grass and sidewalk close to the busy playground multiple times. School staff moved children out of harm’s way, helping to prevent anyone from being struck.
The 10-year-old boy was identified as the driver and was booked into the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center on Thursday for probable cause second-degree assault.
Police stated the boy has been arrested at least twice previously for crimes related to auto theft. He is also a suspect in more than 12 cases ranging from auto theft to robbery to assault with a dangerous weapon.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Jara said the family is cooperative with police and has asked for help working with their son.
“It involved a ten-year-old boy who is very well known to us, who was driving a stolen car on this grass and around the playground while the children were playing. It sent the staff of the school and the children into a panic to run inside and get back to safety. That incident happened on September 20 and I am happy to report that as of now we have charges approved against the ten-year-old for reckless driving and receiving stolen property for being in possession of a stolen car.
We have noticed this year that the age for juvenile offenders who are very active has gotten younger and while it started with theft of Kias and Hyundais, it has continued into more serious crimes and this is a situation where a mother, who I believe to be a good parent, has been asking the system for help and the system has been failing her and failing her child and we need to figure out what the answer to that is.”
Brian O’Hara /Chief of Police Minneapolis Police Department
Later Friday morning, the Office of Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty released a statement calling for “urgent and immediate action” to address the “complex needs” of seemingly troubled youth.
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