A 12-year-old boy was arrested and charged with auto theft after trying to drive his family’s minivan from Fresno, California, to Sacramento on Aug. 15.
A large dust cloud was noticed by a Fresno County Sheriff’s deputy, who was patrolling the Riverdale area around 9:30 a.m. While approaching the scene, a local resident informed the deputy that a minivan collided with an advertisement sign before speeding away.
According to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop to no avail. The minivan accelerated past with a speed over 70 mph, bumping stop signs and occasionally driving onto the opposite side of the road.
In an effort to halt the minivan in its tracks, deputies set up spike tracks in the hope of disabling the vehicle. However, the boy managed to evade them, said deputies.
At around 10:30 a.m, a sergeant in the process of installing a spike strip was nearly impacted by the minivan as the vehicle swerved by, running over the spike strip, authorities said. The silver minivan sustained significant damage in the encounter, forcing it to slow down.
Eventually, the minivan stopped a mile away near Santa Fe County Road and American Ave., marking the end of the joyride.
The Sheriff’s Office stated the boy has been booked into juvenile jail and charged with auto theft, evading police, and assault with a deadly weapon. It was later discovered that the boy intended to visit his former home in Sacramento. Fortunately, no injuries occurred during the incident.