If kids are going to steal cars,
could they at least be taught how to drive safe?

Someone is going to get killed, yet

From the Madison Police log:

A car, stolen after its owner left it warming up, crashed Saturday afternoon 11-16-29 on Interstate 94 in the Town of Medina. Dane County Sheriff’s deputies chased down the occupants, two 15-year-old Madison girls, after they ran into nearby fields. Both were taken to the Juvenile Reception Center.

The Audi A5 was taken from the 5100 block of Golden Leaf Trail around 5:35 a.m. last Thursday. Witnesses saw it heading westbound on I-94 when it spun out of control, went across a median, and ended up in the eastbound lanes. The MPD thanks the Dane County Sheriff’s Office for taking suspects into custody.

Five teens crash into a tree

Witnesses saw four teens running from a stolen Acura MDX Sunday night 11-17-19 after it crashed into a tree on Frisch Rd. around 6:40 p.m. The damaged Acura was driven for about a block before the teens left it running and abandoned in the roadway. The car had been stolen Saturday night from a Corry Street driveway after its owner inadvertently left it unlocked with keys inside.

The MPD has now taken three of five suspects into custody after identifying several teens through surveillance images. All are 14-years-old. One was arrested last Friday morning after being chased down by the MPD following a car theft. Two others were located inside West Towne Mall late Friday afternoon. All were taken to the Juvenile Reception Center on tentative charges of carjacking, attempted carjacking, and operating a motor vehicle without owner’s consent.

Knives, cars and 14 year olds

At 8:49 PM Wednesday 11-13-19, MPD officers were dispatched to a carjacking in a parking lot in the 400 block of S. High Point Rd. on Madison’s west side. While the 60 year old male victim was sitting in his vehicle he was approached by a total of four teenaged males.  One of those males threatened the man with a knife and then stole his car.  The victim in this incident was unharmed and his vehicle was located unoccupied a few blocks away.  A Madison police K9 unit attempted to track the suspects but no suspects were located.

It’s strongly believed that this incident is related to another attempted carjacking that took place roughly nine minutes earlier at the KFC located in the 7500 block of Mineral Point Rd.  In that incident two teenaged male suspects displayed a knife to a man in a vehicle while he was waiting in the drive through.  The potential victim in that incident remained in his vehicle, was unharmed, and the suspects fled the area.

Updated this morning 11-18-19: The MPD has now taken three of five suspects into custody after identifying several teens through surveillance images. All are 14-years-old. One was arrested last Friday morning after being chased down by the MPD following a car theft. Two others were located inside West Towne Mall late Friday afternoon. All were taken to the Juvenile Reception Center on tentative charges of carjacking, attempted carjacking, and operating a motor vehicle without owner’s consent.

Kids 10 & 12 years old at 1:49 a.m.: ‘Hook us up’

Early this morning (11/18/2019 – 1:49 a.m.) two boys walked into the Hy-Vee, 675 S. Whitney Way, with the oldest walking behind the tobacco product sales counter. A 68-year-old clerk estimated one child was about 12, with the other being around 10.

“Come on, hook us up,” said one boy. The employee told the children they were much too young to purchase nicotine products. With that, the older boy grabbed four boxes of JUUL products. He pushed the clerk to the floor, causing her to injure her wrist. The boys ran off. MPD will be reviewing store surveillance video with hopes of identifying them. There is probable cause to arrest the older one for strong armed robbery and battery to an elderly person

Attempted car burglary

In the Westmoreland neighborhood, via NextDoor: Someone tried to break into our car last night [this morning 11-18-19] around 1 am. Fortunately, they were unable to get in. Their getaway car drove away slowly which made it appear that they may have been trying other vehicles down the street. Our home was burglarized by forced entry about a month ago, which is why we decided to put up cameras and install an alarm system.  

I have reported this information to the police.

Only 14 on a school morning

Friday 11-15-19 — A woman started her car before work this morning, leaving it unlocked and running in the driveway of her Hammersley Rd. home. A 14-year-old thief got in and took off. A MPD officer soon spotted the stolen car operating recklessly and in tandem with a second stolen car (it was taken yesterday morning after its owner also left it unlocked and running on Westbrook Lane). The officer did not chase the cars, but he did follow them, and watched as young drivers nearly caused crashes.

Both cars pulled into the parking lot behind Jefferson Middle School, 101 S. Gammon Rd. Three teens jumped out of the two stolen cars and took off running. The officer drove onto athletic fields, behind the school, and successfully apprehended the suspect from today’s car theft. The early investigation suggests he also attempted to steal a car on Tree Lane this morning, prior to being dropped off on Hammersley Rd. The arrested teen appears to have been traveling in one stolen car while he and his friends trolled neighborhoods looking for another to steal.

What do YOU think?