A ten-year-old Minneapolis boy has been arrested for stealing a car and driving it through a crowded schoolyard.
The boy’s wild ride took place on the grounds near Nellie Stone Johnson School in Minneapolis on September 20, 2024, when he narrowly missed other children and school staff.
Footage showed the car speeding around the back of the playground, onto the grass, before turning the other way.
He then zoomed across the playground and onto the sidewalk, while school staff tried to lead other children to safety.
According to police, this fun ride wasn’t the 10-year-old’s first rodeo.
The ten-year-old boy was driving around the busy playground as school staff tried to keep other children in the area safe.
MPD Police Chief Brian O’Hara said, “It is incomprehensible that a 10-year-old child would have been involved in this level of criminal activity without effective intervention.”
The boy has at least 30 tickets since May 2023 and has been arrested at least twice before for crimes related to car theft, according to the Minneapolis Police Department.
He is also listed as a suspect in twelve other cases, ranging from car theft to assault with a dangerous weapon, according to a statement from MPD.
MPD Police Chief Brian O’Hara said, “It is incomprehensible that a 10-year-old child would have been involved in this level of criminal activity without effective intervention.”
He adds that a prison sentence for the 10-year-old “is not an acceptable option” but urges those who may stop his behavior in the future to “act now to help this child and his family.”
The boy’s family has been cooperative, according to the statement, and has asked for help to “prevent their son or anyone else from being injured or killed.”
The boy has been arrested at least twice before and is a suspect in twelve other cases, according to the Minneapolis Police Department.
Police Chief O’Hara said, “This is just one example of the revolving door we face: arresting and re-arresting the same young people for car theft and other violent crimes.”
The Hennepin County Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement regarding the charges against the 10-year-old boy, which they filed due to the “significant safety implications for both this child and the community at large.”
They further 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 cannot be safe at home.”
In cases similar to this, a child would undergo a psychological evaluation to determine if he or she is able to “understand the legal process or assist his or her attorney in his or her defense.”
If the child is unable to do so, the case must be dismissed or suspended and the child must be released.
Both HCAO and MPD have agreed that there is a pattern in the area regarding crimes committed by young offenders.
HCAO has said they are working with MPD, as well as county and state partners, to find safe and appropriate out-of-home placement for children with complex needs and specialized care.
Police Chief O’Hara said, “This is just one example of the revolving door we face: arresting and re-arresting the same young people for car theft and other violent crimes.”
And he added: “This is a complex issue and we need all entities involved in the intervention to come together immediately to establish short and long-term solutions.”
The 10-year-old boy was arrested Thursday and booked into the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center.
