The incident took place in Orrington, Maine, after the child had an argument with his parents. (Penobscot County Sheriff's Office)
A 10-year-old boy has been charged with unauthorized use of property after he stole a car and crashed it into a police cruiser that was trying to stop him.
And it turns out he was a repeat offender.
The incident took place in Orrington, Maine, on Sunday night, after the child had an argument with his parents and went missing. According to The Bangor Daily News, his parents told the police that he’d run away from home several times before, and even stole a car once when he was just 7.
The boy stole a Saturn sedan like this one from a driveway when he found the keys inside of its cupholder. (Saturn)
Just as a search of the woods around the family’s home was about to begin, a report came in that someone had spotted a child driving a Saturn sedan nearby, and a Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office unit was dispatched to the location.
Police said that boy initially pulled over, but when the officer tried to use his cruiser to box the car in, he hit the gas and tried to get away, smashing into the police car and causing minor damage to both vehicles before coming to a stop.
The incident took place in woodsy suburb of Bangor. (Google Earth)
The kid, whose identity has not been revealed, was taken into custody and brought to a hospital to be evaluated. He suffered no injuries in the collision.
Police said that the boy told them that he’d stolen the unlocked car after finding the keys left in its cupholder, and that he’d only been driving it for about five minutes before he was caught.