By Clara Harter
Los Angeles Times
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Sheriff’s deputies are used to following vehicles on wild pursuits, but the person behind the wheel during a speedy Monday morning chase was far from the usual suspect — it was a 12-year-old boy accused of taking his parents’ truck on a joyride to school, authorities said.
Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call shortly before 7 a.m. regarding a boy who had taken his parents’ vehicle to his former school on Caymus Drive in south Sacramento. He knocked over several traffic cones by the school and then drove away, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
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Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle but said the boy refused, leading authorities on a pursuit through the surrounding neighborhood where speeds reached up to 70 mph, according to department spokesperson Sgt. Amar Gandhi. The brief chase culminated in the boy crashing the truck into a patrol car and a parked vehicle, authorities said.
Photos shared by the department show a Ford pickup with severe damage to the front driver’s side and a flat tire.
No one was injured during the incident, and the boy was taken into custody. He was booked on suspicion of hit and run, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, reckless evasion of a peace officer, vehicle theft and receiving a stolen vehicle, Gandhi said.
In California, 12 is the minimum age at which a minor can be held criminally responsible for charges in juvenile court.
As the child is under 14, officers are legally required to take him into temporary custody while they contact his guardians. Gandhi said Monday afternoon that he expected the boy had been, or would shortly be, released to his parents.
Juvenile cases are sent to a county probation officer who reviews the police report, interviews the child and family and then decides whether to file a petition for charges in juvenile court or handle it informally through avenues such as warnings or required counseling.
The boy’s parents are not facing any criminal charges. Should a civil case be filed, however, they could be found financially responsible for damage caused by the boy, Gandhi said.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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