Six young teens arrested after joyride, crime spree in stolen Kia in Glen Burnie
BALTIMORE - A Kia theft in Anne Arundel County this past weekend led to the arrest of six minors all between the ages of 13 and 14.
Neighbors told WJZ that the Glen Burnie shopping center where the car theft allegedly happened is normally quiet.
"I'm really shocked," John Brown, from Brooklyn, said. "In this parking lot, I can expect it in other places, but in this parking lot, I'm really shocked."
Police said it all began around 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
They got a call from a man who was rear-ended by a white SUV on Ritchie Highway near East Ordinance Road in Glen Burnie.
Police later found a white Kia SUV with a broken window parked in front of a Dick's Sporting Goods store.
Officers say their investigation led them to a group of teenagers.
They said the minors also stole items from the Dick's before they were arrested nearby.
"I'm trying to figure out why these kids are so violent," Brown said. "It bothers me that they are so violent at that age."
Police arrested three 14-year-old girls, two 13-year-old boys and a 14-year-old boy.
They're also investigating whether the teens stole another car in the 6600 block of Ritchie Highway.
"It hurts me to my heart to see that 14-year-old kids would do that," Brown said.
Car thefts have skyrocketed in communities across the country recently. Many of the suspects are minors.
Shoppers told WJZ there needs to be solutions to keep young people from committing these crimes.
"Yeah, something needs to happen," Dereck, from Glen Burnie. said. "They're old enough to know right from wrong. I'm not saying they need to go to jail, but it's got to be rectified some type of way."
Anne Arundel County Police want to remind Kia and Hyundai owners to stay vigilant to prevent their cars from being stolen.
The department, like so many other police departments across our area, have been handing out free steering wheel locks to try to deter thieves.
