A 14-year-old boy from Burien was arrested last week after leading Kent Police on a brief pursuit in a stolen vehicle with two 12-year-old girls as passengers.
Police said that just after 9:30 p.m. on the city’s East Hill, Officer Jones was on routine patrol when alerted to a nearby stolen black Hyundai Elantra, reported taken out of Auburn. The officer located the vehicle on 116th Avenue SE and attempted a traffic stop while other officers moved into position to deploy spike strips.
Instead of stopping, the teen driver continued driving erratically for several minutes. At one point, the vehicle nearly collided with Officer Meade’s patrol car in a residential neighborhood. Shortly after, the car’s front tire began to smoke heavily, prompting the suspect to pull over and surrender.
The 14-year-old told police he noticed the brakes were failing and decided to stop. He was booked into the King County Juvenile Detention Center for possession of a stolen vehicle and attempting to elude police.
During the arrest, the teen reportedly asked officers why they continued pursuing him after he failed to stop, appearing surprised or annoyed. “Kent Officers don’t just give up,” a police spokesperson said.
Two 12-year-old girls were also in the vehicle, one from Kent and the other from Auburn. Both were released to family members.
“Hopefully this is a big wake-up call for the suspect, his passengers, and their families,” Kent Police said in a statement.
