A 10-year-old Minneapolis boy has been arrested for stealing a car and driving it through a busy schoolyard.
The boy’s wild ride took place on September 20, 2024, on the grounds near Nellie Stone Johnson School in Minneapolis, narrowly missing other children and school staff.
Footage showed the car driving around the back of the playground, across the grass, before heading in the opposite direction.
He then zoomed past the playground and onto the sidewalk as school staff tried to get other children to safety.
Police say this joyride wasn’t the 10-year-old’s first rodeo.
The 10-year-old boy drove through the busy playground as school staff tried to protect other children in the area
MPD Police Chief Brian O’Hara said, “It is unfathomable that a 10-year-old boy would be involved in this level of criminal activity without effective intervention.”
The boy has at least 30 citations since May 2023 and has been arrested at least twice previously for auto theft-related crimes, according to Minneapolis police.
He is also listed as a suspect in 12 other cases, ranging from auto theft to robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon, according to an MPD statement.
MPD Police Chief Brian O’Hara said, “It is unfathomable that a 10-year-old boy would be involved in this level of criminal activity without effective intervention.”
He added that a prison sentence for the 10-year-old was ‘not an acceptable option’, but urged those who could stop his behavior in the future to ‘take action now to help this child and his family’.
The boy’s family has cooperated and asked for help to “prevent their son or anyone else from being injured or killed,” according to the statement.
The boy has been arrested at least twice before and is the suspect in 12 other cases, according to Minneapolis police
Police Chief O’Hara said, “This is just one example of the revolving door we are dealing with: arresting and re-arresting the same youth for auto theft and other violent crimes.”
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office released a statement about the charges against the 10-year-old boy, which they filed because of the “significant safety implications for both this child and the broader community.”
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 who cannot be safely at home.”
In similar cases, a child would undergo a psychological assessment to determine whether he or she is capable of “understanding the legal proceeds or assisting his attorney in his defense.”
If a child is unable to do so, the case should be dismissed or stayed and the child released from custody.
Both the HCAO and MPD agree that there is a pattern in this area regarding crimes committed by young offenders.
The HCAO has said they are working with the 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 are dealing with: arresting and re-arresting the same youth for car theft and other violent crimes.”
He added: “This is a complex issue, and we need every entity involved in intervention to come together immediately to create short- and long-term solutions.”
The 10-year-old boy was arrested Thursday and booked into the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center.