A 12-year-old boy from Washington state is in custody after authorities say he stole his grandfather's car and drove over a mountain range, logging 160 miles before he was finally caught. USA Today reports that the unidentified youngster was nabbed the day before Thanksgiving in Grant County, after the Grant County Sheriff's Office was notified by police in Issaquah that the boy had taken off with his grandpa's Volkswagen hatchback. "The boy has some connection to Moses Lake and it was believed he might drive to Grant County," notes a statement from the sheriff's office on Facebook.
When sheriff's deputies tracked down the vehicle Wednesday morning parked along the side of the road in a residential area, they say the boy took off in the car, leading the deputies "on a short pursuit that was safely ended" after one deputy performed a "PIT maneuver," or precision immobilization technique. The sheriff's office says there were no injuries and that "vehicle damages were minimal." The Seattle Times notes the boy drove a grand total of 161 miles before he was stopped.
USA Today estimates the boy's trip took about 2 1/2 hours (if he traveled at the speed limit) through the Cascades on Interstate 90, amid congested pre-Thanksgiving traffic and some snow along the Snoqualmie Pass. "For a 12-year-old to take a vehicle, and take it that far, we're happy we were able to stop him before he hurt himself or hurt somebody else," a sheriff's office spokesman says. The boy, meanwhile, is currently being held at the Chelan County Juvenile Justice Center on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle and felony eluding. (More car theft stories.)
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