10-year-old boy arrested and charged for driving stolen car on playground

A 10-year-old boy was arrested and charged after he allegedly drove a stolen car through a crowded schoolyard in Minneapolis last month.

Video footage shows the car narrowly missing several children as the vehicle races across the lawn at the elementary school.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said Friday that the boy was charged in a separate case in August with reckless driving and receiving stolen property, as well as threatening violence and attempting to commit carjacking.

The boy was “very well known to us,” O’Hara said. He added that the boy had been arrested at least twice for crimes related to car theft and was listed as a suspect in more than 12 cases. Police records also show several entries in runaway cases, he said.

According to law enforcement, the 10-year-old was booked into the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center on Thursday on suspicion of second-degree assault.

“The system doesn't have an answer for what to do with someone that young, and that's the revolving door that we've seen over and over again this year,” O'Hara explained, explaining a pattern of arrest, release, then arrest again some children. “It is an urgent problem that requires everyone at all levels of government to find an answer.”

O'Hara said he was concerned about what he saw as an increasing number of young people committing serious crimes, often involving stolen cars. He said the number of children ages 15 and younger who are victims of gun violence in Minneapolis is “higher than ever before.”

In a statement, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said charges were filed against the 10-year-old due to “significant safety implications for both this child and the entire community.” She drew attention to a “crisis” related to a “small group of children who are unable to stand trial in the juvenile justice system but cannot be safe at home.”

Children who are deemed by the courts to be unable to understand court proceedings or assist their lawyers in their defense cannot be prosecuted and will be released from custody. Moriarty said more resources are needed for residential placement for such children – places where staff can “accept and successfully treat our youth with complex needs.”

Lt. Kelly O'Rourke, the department's youth unit commander, said he saw too many young children committing repeat crimes and too many parents begging for help getting their children to services.

“The children are ruining the system by committing more and more crimes while they wait for these providers to reach them in the area,” he said. “We just need to find accommodation that allows the children to be evaluated and find the right treatment.”