A 12-year-old boy stole his grandfather’s vehicle and drove about 160 miles over a mountain freeway in Washington before deputies caught him on the day before Thanksgiving, according to a sheriff’s office.
On Wednesday, police in Issaquah, near Seattle, alerted the Grant County Sheriff’s Office (located over 150 miles away, over the Cascade mountain range) that the boy allegedly stole his grandfather’s Volkswagen hatchback. The boy had ties to Moses Lake, a small city in Grant County, and was suspected to be headed there, Kyle Foreman, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, told USA TODAY.
“For a 12-year-old to take a vehicle, and take it that far, we’re happy we were able to stop him before he hurt himself or hurt somebody else,” Foreman said.
A land bridge crossing for wildlife over Interstate 90 is seen near Snoqualmie Pass, Washington, U.S., October 30, 2019.
To make the journey, the boy would have traveled around two-and-a-half hours − following the speed limit − on Interstate 90. He would have had to cross Snoqualmie Pass at an elevation 3,000 feet. Traffic would have also been more congested the day before Thanksgiving. The mountain pass was at near-freezing temperatures with snow accumulated, according to National Weather Service records.
Just after 10 a.m., sheriff’s deputies found the Volkswagen parked at the curb in a residential area that was once military housing for the shuttered Larson Air Force Base. From there, the boy led deputies on a short pursuit.
Foreman said the area is marked by curved streets, so the boy didn’t get a lot of speed. When he arrived near Randolph Road and State Route 17, near the Grant County airport, the area became flatter and more open. Deputies then used a PIT maneuver (when a pursuing vehicle turns the evading car sideways) forcing the driver to stop.
The boy was booked at the Chelan County Juvenile Justice Center on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle and felony eluding, a Grant County Sheriff’s Office social media post said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Boy drives stolen car over 160 miles, Washington sheriff’s office says
