10-year-old arrested after driving stolen Hyundai through

The boy was reportedly arrested twice for car theft-related crimes and named as a suspect in 12 other cases

Minneapolis police arrested and charged a 10-year-old boy after he drove an allegedly stolen Hyundai Sonata through a crowded playground near Nellie Stone Johnson Community School on Sept. 20. If you’re wondering if you read that right, yes, a 10-year-old kid was driving a stolen vehicle, and yes, he drove it through a playground. If this sounds like a setup for a particularly dark punchline, sadly, it’s not.

Read: Kia Stinger gas station theft teaches hard lesson in 30 seconds

While authorities are withholding the young boy’s identity, they booked him into the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center on suspicion of second-degree assault, reckless driving and receiving stolen property. What’s less surprising – this isn’t the boy’s first run-in with the law. In fact, it wasn’t even his fifth. We’re past that stage.

Disturbing patterns emerge

Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the 10-year-old boy was also charged with threats of violence and attempted auto theft stemming from an incident in August. The boy reportedly threatened a female driver in the Kia with a knife and told her “I’m going to gut you.” Since May 2023, he has had at least 30 contacts with police.

The Minnesota Star Tribune said the boy had been arrested at least twice in the past for car theft-related crimes and was named as a suspect in more than 12 cases, including car theft and assault with a dangerous weapon. One of the car thefts he was charged with occurred when he was nine years old.

The boy’s mother told local media she didn’t know why he started stealing cars.

“I don’t know why he did it,” she said. “His family wasn’t bad. I was a single mom. His dad passed away. The older kids in the community kept him involved. Those older kids traumatized him. … I want my son to get help. He’s just a 10-year-old kid.”

playground chaos

Video of the most recent incident shows dozens of children on the playground as the young driver of a 2013 Hyundai Sonata speeds across the grass multiple times. Teachers guarding the children in the playground could be seen scrambling to protect them from harm.

O’Hara added: “It is unbelievable that a 10-year-old boy could be involved in such a level of criminal activity without effective intervention. “Prison is not an option for a 10-year-old boy. Accept the choice. But adults who can stop this behavior from continuing must take immediate action to help this child and his family.”

You can almost hear the subtext in his voice: Anyone, anyone, please fix this before we slip into even weirder territory.

Photo credit: Minneapolis Police