By Nelson Oliveira
New York Daily News
BATON ROUGE, La. — His joyride lasted a while, but his jail ride might be even longer.
An 11-year-old Louisiana boy is facing criminal charges after authorities said he stole a school bus and crashed into several cars during a wild joyride Sunday morning.
The pre-adolescent thief led multiple police cruisers on a 13-mile pursuit through the streets of Baton Rouge before crashing into a tree and getting arrested, authorities told local news outlet WBRZ. The child even flipped the middle finger to officers as he drove past them, according to the station.
Eyewitness videos shared on social media captured part of the pursuit, with one clip showing more than a dozen police cruisers following the bus.
The boy, whose name was not released because of his age, struck three vehicles before finally hitting a tree and coming to a stop, authorities said.
He was booked into the Baton Rouge Juvenile Detention Center and charged with theft of a vehicle, aggravated flight, three counts of damage to property and one count of aggravated assault for intentionally crashing into at least one of the three vehicle he hit, a police spokesman told The Advocate.
[READ: How Juvenile Assessment Centers serve the criminal justice system]
Authorities said the school bus has a push-to-start ignition, so no key was needed. Officers also believe he was too short to reach the pedals while sitting and likely had to stand up to drive.
The investigation is ongoing.
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