- Police report a 12-year-old boy has broken into several car dealerships in Maryland.
- The young suspect also pilfered ice cream and candy bars from the dealerships he targeted.
- Maryland police can’t legally hold the minor accountable due to his age, for now.
The closest that kids today can get to a car-related crime is on a game like Grand Theft Auto – or at least that’s what one would have thought. According to police in Montgomery County, Maryland, a 12-year-old boy appears to be playing that game in the real world. He’s accused of breaking into several car dealerships and of stealing at least two luxury cars.
Authorities haven’t released any details about the minor but surveillance video from one dealer shows the boy rifling through different rooms and searching a car on the property. Officers believe the boy is behind break-ins at Audi Rockville, BMW of Rockville, Pristine Auto Rockville, Jaguar Bethesda, and Lindsay Ford. They think he’s hit at least six more that are, at present, unnamed.
More: Teens Steal Ferrari 488, Lead Police On Chase From Rhode Island To Florida
According to local news station WJLA, he actually managed to leave the Jaguar dealer with a car and some candy bars from the showroom. Then, at the Audi dealership he actually drove a car into a bay door before using the damage to gain access to the building. There, he reportedly took some ice cream from the freezer.
How on earth has a child been allowed to do all of this? While there seems to be no accounting for his parents, law enforcement says that on their end it comes down to what they’re legally allowed to do.
“In the case of someone who is under 13, they are completely immune from accountability or consequences of almost all property crimes,” Jason Johnson, president of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund,” told WJLA.
“The Maryland juvenile justice system is set up so that there are little if any consequences for most juveniles’ involvement in criminal activity,” he continued. It’s worth noting that time is running out for this kid. As Johnson alluded to, once the boy is 13 the law does allow for serious penalties.
Until then, it would seem that he has an almost literal “get out of jail free” card that looks a lot like his own birth certificate.