13-year-old driver leads South Fulton police on early morning chase
SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - A late-night joyride in a stolen car ended with the arrest of four juveniles over the weekend. Police in South Fulton say the youngest was just 12 years old.
Those children, whose ages ranged from 12-14, are facing multiple charges after police say they led officers on a chase in a stolen car. South Fulton Police say they are watching for that kind of activity this spring break and urging parents to do the same.
It was 3 a.m. Sunday when police say Flock cameras picked up on a stolen Hyundai Elantra driving down Old National Highway.
"Officers attempted a traffic stop. During the stop event, the occupant of the vehicle rammed into one of our patrol cars," said South Fulton Police Lt. Jubal Rogers.
Lt. Rogers says a brief chase ended moments later as the driver, who was just 13 years old, crashed into a guard rail.
"That is extremely reckless behavior to partake in…you’re putting the police in danger; you’re putting yourself in danger, and you’re putting public motorists in danger while running from the police," said Lt. Rogers.
From there, according to a police report, five juveniles jumped out of the car and ran.
Police caught four of them. The teens are charged with obstruction and theft by receiving a stolen vehicle.
Rogers says car break-ins and thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles have continued to be an issue, but he was disturbed to learn the ages of the suspects in this case.
"It is very concerning to see 12- to 14-year-old juveniles in a stolen vehicle, especially at that hour—3:30 in the morning," said Lt. Rogers.
He tells FOX 5 in anticipation of kids being out of school for spring break, police in South Fulton have set up a detail focused on cutting down on youth involvement in criminal activity.
"We do know that this weekend is spring break, we know they want to have a good time, but they need to be supervised," said Lt. Rogers.
They are urging parents to monitor their children closely.