Boy, 10, ‘drives stolen car across playground crowded with other children’
A 10-year-old boy has been arrested after allegedly driving a stolen car across a busy school playground in the US state of Minnesota.
CCTV footage shows a large group of children playing at Nellie Stone Johnson School in Minneapolis on September 20 when a car can be seen criss-crossing over the lawn nearby.
Staff spot the car as it begins to approach the playground and frantically try to move kids out of harm’s way.
The car eventually passes right over a path in between the playground and the school, missing the children by just a few metres.
One girl who was walking from the school towards the playground only narrowly avoids being hit, having spotted the car just before crossing the path.
Minneapolis Police Department said the boy has at least 30 entries on their records dating back to May 2023, including two arrests for alleged vehicle theft.
‘The boy is also listed as a suspect in more than 12 cases that range from auto theft to robbery to assault with a dangerous weapon,’ the force added.
Prosecutors have announced criminal charges against the boy, CBS News reports, meaning he could face trial – though police don’t want him to go to prison.
A court-appointed psychologist will assess the child and could deem him incompetent to stand trial.
If that happens, the case ‘must be dismissed or suspended, and the child must be released from custody’, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said.
In a statement, it added: ‘We are facing an urgent crisis in our community related to a small group of children who are not competent to stand trial in the juvenile justice system, but who cannot safely be at home.’
‘We cannot charge or prosecute our way out of this crisis,’ it continued.
Police Chief Brian O’Hara said: ‘It is unfathomable that a 10-year-old boy has been involved in this level of criminal activity without effective intervention.
‘Prison is not an acceptable option for a 10-year-old boy. But the adults who can stop this behavior going forward must act now to help this child and his family.
‘This is only one example of the revolving door we’re dealing with – arresting and re-arresting the same juveniles for auto-theft and other violent crimes.
‘This is a complex issue, and we need every entity involved in intervention to come together immediately to establish short- and long-term solutions.’
No children were injured in the incident on September 20.
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