An 11-year-old Ohio boy who stole his mother’s car and led police on a high-speed chase last year is once again in a whole mess of legal and parental trouble…after stealing his mother’s car and leading police on a second high-speed chase last week before crashing into a parked car, Cleveland.com reports. The reason for all this vehicular mayhem? Detectives say the pre-teen was mad after his mom took away his PlayStation.
It was remarkable enough last fall when reports emerged about a 10-year-old swiping his mom’s Toyota Avalon out of sheer boredom and running from Ohio State Highway Patrol officers at nearly 100 mph. At the time, we hoped he would turn out to be “more ‘Ricky Bobby’ and less habitual offender.” But any notion of the kid just wanting to go fast has been handily dispelled by this latest dangerous gambit.
According to Cleveland.com, the now-11-year-old and his mother got into a heated argument last Sunday night after she confiscated his video games. She then went to bed, but later woke up to discover that her son was missing along with her 2013 Dodge Durango. She also got a call from his incredulous father, who happened to be driving nearby at the time and saw him cruising around in her SUV.
Realizing his cover was blown, the boy reportedly pulled the Durango into the parking lot of an abandoned fire station to hide. Unfortunately for him, a Brooklyn police officer also happened to be passing by at that moment; spotting what he assumed to be a lost or disabled driver, he too pulled in to offer assistance. The boy immediately took off, and the chase was on.
The police reports show it was an incredibly dangerous pursuit. The 11-year-old turned off his lights as he bobbed and weaved through surface street traffic at nearly 90 mph, running stop signs and red lights with abandon. The chase made its way into Cleveland, and which point officers from both the Brooklyn and Parma police departments called it off for safety reasons.
Less than a half an hour later, officers discovered the boy had crashed the Durango into a parked truck and flipped. He was lucky to walk away with minor injuries—but there was no escaping the charges he now faces in Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court, including grand theft auto, criminal damaging, and failing to comply with an officer. Still unidentified because of his age, he’ll be arraigned on November 21.
You might be curious as to how this became an annual tradition for Cleveland. In the aftermath of last year’s chase, a judge eventually ruled that the boy was incompetent to stand trial; Cleveland.com reports that police records show he suffers from ADHD, bipolar disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder. But chances are the legal system won’t be quite as forgiving the second time around.
Even if it is, that PlayStation probably isn’t going to get much use until he turns 18. No more Grand Theft Auto for you, kid.