14-Year-Old Car Thieves Crash Into Baltimore Officer
A group of three 14-year-olds stole a car and crashed it into a Baltimore police officer, who fired his weapon as he was struck. The young thieves managed to escape the scene but were arrested a few days later.
Officer William Cole responded to a call about an attempted break-in around 12:05 a.m. on Sunday, as reported by WBAL-TV.
Video from Officer Cole’s body camera shows him arriving at West Lombard Street, where he encountered several people near a Kia sedan. After backing up, the vehicle collided with a parked car.
When Cole instructed the driver to stop, the car reversed again, hitting him in the process. During the fall, he discharged his weapon into the vehicle as it sped away, also colliding with another car and an officer’s patrol vehicle.
In the footage, Officer Cole can be heard calling for medical assistance and checking on his own condition as he addressed another officer.
Before officers arrived, they assisted a 21-year-old man who had been assaulted. Fortunately, he didn’t require hospitalization, but Officer Cole suffered an ankle injury and was later treated and released from the hospital.
Police later found the abandoned Kia on South Arlington Avenue. It had been reported stolen from East Chase Street the day before.
Authorities identified two of the boys in the Kia as repeat offenders, both on electronic monitoring for previous robbery and auto theft charges. They were arrested on Monday and charged with aggravated assault and motor vehicle theft, remaining in custody at a juvenile detention facility.
Detectives identified the vehicle’s driver as a 14-year-old girl who had sought medical attention for a wound on her wrist, which may have been caused by a gunshot. Investigations are ongoing regarding her injury, and she has also been charged with similar offenses but was later released under electronic monitoring.
Issues surrounding teen crime in Baltimore have been discussed previously. Notably, last summer a 13-year-old on GPS monitoring was linked to a violent crime despite being arrested multiple times for felonies.
