American boy, 10, takes father's car for joyride through Hong Kong

A 10-year-old American boy was detained by Hong Kong police Wednesday, after he took his dad's Maserati out for a spin, the AFP reports.

After swiping the keys from an unlocked drawer in the family's apartment, he reportedly drove off in the Maserati GranTurismo coupe.

"Police arrested the 10-year-old for driving without a license and taking a conveyance without authority under the theft ordinance," a police spokeswoman said, adding that the boy was released on police bail, the AFP reports.

The joyride was not without incident. The boy hit a vehicle in the parking lot, yet continued driving down a busy road before he stopped and the police were alerted by a passerby.

His father, a businessman in Hong Kong,  paid HK$1.6 million ($206,000) in 2009 for the two-door car.

The boy is required to report back to the police station this month.

The offense carries a maximum punishment of seven years' imprisonment and a fine, but a police source suggested that he was unlikely to be charged because of his age, the AFP reports.