Details On Police Chase That Ended With 5 Teens In Custody And Stolen Car On Fire

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A group of teenagers is in hot water for a police chase that came to a fiery end.

Video of the incident shows the boys running from a car that later burst into flames outside a gas station in Mendota Heights Monday night. Authorities say it was the end result of a robbery.

According to police, it all started with a homeowner reporting a break-in.

"Property was stolen from a home and the suspect left in a Tesla from the residence," said Cpt. Wayne Wegener with Mendota Heights police.

The teenagers took off in the Tesla, eventually dumped it, then got into another car.

Wegener believes that car started malfunctioning, causing the boys inside to pull into the gas station parking lot.

"It was having some mechanical issues as the engine was smoking or smoke was coming from the engine compartments, and after the vehicle came to a stop and the suspects fled it started on fire and became fully engulfed," Wegener said.

It didn't take long for police to realize the car the teenagers were in, that was on fire, did not belong to any of them.

"The vehicle that the suspects arrived in initially was a Hyundai Sonata and we later learned that vehicle was stolen," Wegener said.

Earlier that day Linden Hills residents took to social media about a group of teenagers seen checking car doors to see if they were locked.

Residents reported a blue Hyundai Sonata stolen by four teenagers wearing hoodies and masks.

But it was five boys seen running away from a fully engulfed car matching the description of the car stolen earlier in Linden Hills.

All five teens between the ages of 14 and 17 were caught and taken into custody.

The teenagers could face charges like car theft and running from police.

Two of them went to the juvenile detention center. Police turned over the rest of them to their guardians or parents.