Boy, 8, Steals Car and Leads Cops On Pursuit: Police

An Alabama boy aged just 8 years old has been arrested after allegedly carjacking a vehicle at gunpoint and then leading officers on a chase, according to police.

Police in Montgomery were alerted to reports of a robbery in the southeast of the city shortly after 11 a.m. local time on Tuesday, July 11.

Officers were told that it was a kid who had allegedly taken a car from a driver at gunpoint, according to NBC affiliate WSFA12.

Major Saba Coleman of the Montgomery Police Department (MPD) said officers tried to pull the vehicle over following the reported carjacking in the area of East South Boulevard and Norman Bridge Road, but the driver is said to have refused to stop and a pursuit ensued.

Coleman said the car later crashed into another vehicle, which brought an end to the pursuit. The network said no one was injured in the collision and no information was forthcoming about how long the pursuit lasted.

The boy was taken into custody and was later charged with first-degree robbery, attempting to elude and certain persons forbidden to possess a firearm. He was then taken to the Montgomery County Youth Detention Facility.

Newsweek contacted the MPD on Wednesday via email for comment.

A witness who told WSFA12 his name is "Snake" Knapp said: "When I realized it was a little boy, I knew I had to follow them and make sure no one got hit and that he got caught, because don't want him driving all over Montgomery, causing more accidents or hurting himself or hurting other people."

Knapp also claimed the boy picked up two adults on Norman Bridge Road, adding: "I think parents just really need to know where their kids are, what their kids are doing, and just talk to them about these kinds of things."

Since the pandemic, there has been a rise in the number of young people becoming involved in vehicle crimes, ranging from theft to carjacking.

According to a National District Attorney's Association (NDAA) report in 2021, there are many factors that have contributed to the increase in carjackings committed by juveniles across the U.S., but the pandemic may be the biggest reason.

It said the "most profound impact stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic" was the devastation caused by prolonged lockdowns and the impact on learning.

The NDAA added: "The lockdowns caused many states to close schools and move to a virtual learning environment. The lack of day-to-day structure and oversight has resulted in youths spending less time in school settings and more time unsupervised on the streets and on social media."

It later continued: "It is too soon to tell if the recent spike in juvenile offending is a temporary crisis in response to recent societal issues, primarily related to COVID restrictions[...]or perhaps due to some larger underlying trend."