A trio of pint-sized carjackers led Ohio cops on a frantic chase — after they taught themselves how to steal cars on YouTube, according to authorities.
The Newburgh Heights kids — aged 8, 11, and 12 — were caught on Saturday after spinning out of control and crashing the white Hyundai sedan they had hotwired, 3News reported.
The juvenile suspects allegedly told cops they’d learned to steal cars by watching YouTube videos, the outlet said, with investigators determining they used he hotwire method.
Newburgh Heights Police Chief John Majoy said the 11-year-old was behind the wheel of the sedan when a license plate reader registered a stolen car.
“This has got to be a record for the youngest driver in a pursuit that I’ve ever seen,” Majoy said, according to 3News.
“11 years old, for God’s sake, that’s incredible,” he added.
A nearby officer arrived and attempted to pull the car over, but the wee driver stepped on the gas and peeled out.
Police pursued until the driver took a hard turn, spun out of control and crashed into a house.
“A big, you know, bang and a lot of noise,” resident Daniel Reilly, who was watching TV inside when the car slammed into its wall, told 3News.
The kids tried to scatter after the wreck and took off on foot, but were quickly chased down by an officer who trained a gun on them and ordered them to get on the ground and keep their hands in sight.
“Please,” one said in bodycam footage from the incident, where he was audibly sobbing as the officer ordered them to stay put.
“My mama, I’m sorry,” he said.
The trio also begged officers to call their parents.
Once the officer realized he was dealing with kids, he thanked them for complying but told them they had to stay down and that their parents would be called once backup arrived.
Nobody was injured in the incident, and the kids will be charged in juvenile court.
“I don’t know if the kids are old enough to even realize that, you know, [they are not] just putting their like their lives in danger, but other innocent people who are just going about their day,” Reilly told 3News.
“Life lesson here, that it’s not, you know, it’s not Grand Theft Auto, it’s not a game. It’s real life.”
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