Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara announced Friday that his officers have arrested a 10-year-old boy for recklessly driving a stolen vehicle across a crowded school playground.
The boy was booked into the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center Thursday on probable cause second-degree assault in connection to the Sept. 20 incident, which occurred at Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary School in North Minneapolis.
Police said no children on the playground were injured or struck by the driver, who has been arrested twice before for auto theft-related crimes. According to police, the 10-year-old boy is also a suspect in “more than 12 cases that range from auto theft to robbery to assault with a dangerous weapon.”
MPD released surveillance video from the incident, which they said “shows school staff frantically trying to move children off the playground and out of harm’s way.”
VIDEO: Minneapolis police arrested a 10-year-old boy for driving a stolen vehicle recklessly across a crowded school playground. Police say the incident happened Sept. 20. The 10-year-old has been arrested at least twice before for auto theft related crimes and is listed as a… pic.twitter.com/y6w40PKO2R
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) October 4, 2024
“It is unfathomable that a 10-year-old boy has been involved in this level of criminal activity without effective intervention,” Chief O’Hara said in a statement.
“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.”
Police said the boy’s family is cooperative and has “asked for help to keep their son or anyone else from being injured or killed.”
