10‑year-old's wild ride: Stolen car chaos at school playground

A dangerous incident occurred at the end of September in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Local police detained a 10-year-old who stole a car and drove it onto a school playground while children were playing. A video of the incident spread across the internet, revealing that the child was already known to the police.

On September 20, a driver entered the crowded playground of Nellie Stone Johnson School in Minneapolis at high speed, narrowly missing the children. This was captured in a video released by the local police, which quickly went viral.

According to the BBC, the reckless driver was a 10-year-old operating a stolen car. "Fortunately, no children on the playground were struck by the driver," officers confirmed.

Reports from American media indicate that on Thursday, October 5, the 10-year-old was taken into custody and sent to a juvenile detention center in Hennepin County. This wasn't the boy's first encounter with the law. Since May 2023, he has "accumulated" at least 30 entries in police records, marking his third detention.

According to cbsnews.com, the 10-year-old is a suspect in several cases, including "auto theft to robbery to assault with a dangerous weapon." As early as August, the boy attempted to steal a car.

It is unfathomable that a 10-year-old boy has been involved in this level of criminal activity without effective intervention, emphasized local police chief Brian O'Hara. Prison is not an acceptable option for a 10-year-old boy. But the adults who can stop this behavior going forward must act now to help this child and his family — he noted.

The boy's parent is cooperating with the authorities. The family has sought help in preventing further harm to their son or anyone else, according to officers.