12-Year-Old Takes Police On A Wild Chase Before Crashing Into Another Car
By: Las Cruces, New Mexico — Newly released body-camera footage shows a 12-year-old boy who led Doña Ana County sheriff's deputies on a pursuit and crashed in September 12, 2021. The Doña Ana Sheriff’s Office received three calls about a juvenile recklessly driving an SUV Sunday afternoon in the Las Alturas area of New Mexico. Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle to no avail and a pursuit occurred through residential areas. The juvenile stopped in a parking lot, picked up three passengers ranging in age from 12-15. At one point during the chase, the vehicle stopped and the three boys exited the vehicle and the driver continued back through the motel parking lot then across the K-Mart parking lot. The chase eventually came to an end when the stolen SUV headed down a road in the wrong direction, colliding head-on with another vehicle.
The 12-year-old had ammunition for a 9mm handgun in his possession, which led to deputies finding a handgun that had been thrown out of the moving vehicle. As paramedics arrive, deputies began to question the 12-year-old who is seen on video crying the whole time. The boy told deputies it wasn’t his fault and claims the kids that were in the SUV forced him to drive. Officers then raced to get those kids into custody. The 12-year-old boy was not injured. Officials said the driver of the other vehicle involved in the head-on crash was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. There were children in the victim's car as well. The sheriff’s department says the 12-year-old was booked into the Doña Ana County Detention Center on an outstanding warrant for conspiracy to commit burglary of a vehicle, in addition to aggravated fleeing of law enforcement and receiving or transferring a stolen motor vehicle.