10‑year-old's crime spree reignites safety concerns in Minneapolis
A dangerous incident occurred at the end of September in Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA). The local police detained a 10-year-old who stole a car and drove it onto a school playground while children were playing on it. A video of the incident spread across the internet. It turned out that the 10-year-old was well-known to the police.
On 20th September, a driver drove onto the crowded playground located at Nellie Stone Johnson School in Minneapolis at speed, dangerously circling close to the playing children. This is visible in the video released by the local police, which went viral.
According to the BBC, the reckless driver was a 10-year-old driving a stolen car. "Fortunately, no children on the playground were struck by the driver," the officers stated.
Reports from American media indicate that on Thursday, 5th October, the 10-year-old was detained and sent to a juvenile detention centre in Hennepin County. It turns out that this was not the boy's first encounter with the law. Since May 2023, he has accumulated at least 30 entries in police records; this was his third time in detention.
The 10-year-old's family asked for help
According to cbsnews.com, the 10-year-old is a suspect in several cases: from "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 — emphasised 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. According to the officers, it's the family who "has asked for help to keep their son or anyone else from being injured or killed."
