3 juveniles in stolen Porsche arrested after police chase through west metro
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Three children under 16 were arrested in the west metro after leading police on a chase in a stolen luxury car Tuesday morning.
Shortly after 4:30 a.m., Wayzata police responded to an automated license plate reader hit on a stolen car near Wayzata Boulevard and Gleason Lake Road.
The vehicle, a 2018 Porsche Macan, had been reported stolen out of Eden Praire on Monday.
Officers located the stolen Porsche and attempted to conduct a traffic stop but the driver fled. The Wayzata Police Department says officers were led on a "lengthy pursuit" through Minnetonka and Golden Valley.
A PIT maneuver was eventually conducted, stopping the vehicle.
Police say several juveniles fled from the vehicle on foot. Three of them were arrested.
Inside the stolen car, police report finding a loaded stolen handgun.
The Wayzata Police Department says this is the second time in five weeks officers have encountered juveniles in a stolen vehicle with loaded stolen guns.
"This type of criminal activity has become all too frequent for officers across the metro," the department said in a statement. "These kids are coming to our communities to commit crimes. Our officers have done a remarkable job in dealing with these dangerous high stress situations in an effort to keep our community safe."
Children stealing cars has become a troubling trend for law enforcement agencies across the Twin Cities. Last month, four children in a stolen vehicle were shot in Minneapolis.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office's Youth Auto Theft Early Intervention Initiative is just one part of the solution. It's a program designed to respond quickly before the kids involved or the community gets hurt.
However, some of the metro's top cops think that there needs to be harsher consequences.
So far this year, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office has charged 122 juvenile auto theft cases.