They went straight to the source, again…
Stealing cars from automaker holding lots right after they’ve rolled off the assembly line is becoming increasingly popular among thieves. Typically, thieves target the high-end models like Ford Raptors, Shelby GT500s, and Dodge Hellcats. That’s what police say an 11-year-old, 12-year-old, and 14-year-old were up to on August 22.
Check out the newest Motorious Podcast episode here.
Detroit police thankfully caught the three kids before they could steal any of the brand new Mopar muscle cars. The vehicles were stored at the Jefferson North Assembly storage lot, which is right across the street from a police station. That’s how bold these teenage thieves were, they were trying to steal cars right in front of cops.
“They think it’s fun and there’s no penalty to it,” said Lieutenant Clive Stewart, head of the Detroit Police Commercial Auto Theft Unit. He remarked in a local TV interview that 11 was the youngest age he’s probably seen for a car thief.
Lieutenant Stuart said what we’ve always suspected; someone older taught these kids how to steal cars and then sent them to the car lot with specific instructions of what to take. Since an adult caught boosting cars will get a more serious criminal penalty and kids won’t, more theft rings are recruiting young accomplices. The whole "Kia Boyz" trend is part of this culture of getting increasingly young kids involved in a life of crime, and it thrives in areas where fathers aren't in the picture.
Carjackings are up about 40 percent year over year in Detroit and police say it’s kids who are committing these violent crimes. Usually, to take a vehicle from someone you have to possess a force multiplier which will cause them to fear for their lives, and more often than not that means a gun. So you have 11-year-olds, 12-year-olds, and other kids running around the city ordering people out of their cars, taking their keys away from them by force, and sadly sometimes physically injuring their victims.
Where does a child go from carjacking? Other violent crimes seem likely, so this carjacking spree will help fuel murders, rapes, other armed robberies, and who knows what else. The social consequences of this trend is crippling. This is about so much more than just cars.
Source and images: Fox 2 Detroit
