12-Year-Old Arrested After Driving Grandfather's Stolen Car 160 Miles Across Wash. Mountains

Mar. 15, 2025

A welcome sign in Moses Lake, Washington.Photo:AP Photo/Jeff T. Green

AP Photo/Jeff T. Green

A 12-year-old boy led police on a brief chase after he drove his grandfather’s stolen car over 160 miles across the Washington mountains.

Upon being informed that the boy had “connection to Moses Lake” and might head to the Grant County area, “The Sheriff’s Motor Traffic Unit went looking for the car and found it around 10:20 a.m. parked at the curb of the 900 block of Lowry Street in the Larson Community,” the sheriff’s office said.

The 12-year-old driver “then led deputies on a short pursuit that was safely ended near Randolph Road and State Route 17 when a deputy applied a PIT maneuver to the stolen car,” the statement added.

Grant County Sheriff’s Office.Grant County Sheriff’s Office Facebook

Grant County Sheriff’s Office Facebook

In a statement to PEOPLE, Kyle Foreman, the public information officer of the Grant County Sheriff’s Office describes the extensive details of the incident.

“This wasn’t a short distance, low speed trip. This was 160 miles and two-and-a-half hours of drive time on an interstate highway, including a mountain pass. The 12-year-old boy was fortunate that he wasn’t involved in or caused a collision. We’re glad that we were able to stop him before he or someone else was hurt,” Foreman says.

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According to the sheriff’s office, no one was injured in the chase and damage to the vehicle was described as “minimal.”

Once in police custody, the boy was transferred to the Chelan County Juvenile Justice Center and charged with “suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle and felony eluding,” authorities said.

source: people.com