A late-morning carjacking put some Baltimore residents on edge yesterday, as a police helicopter flew overhead and authorities pursued a stolen car through the city. At the conclusion of the search, police said a 16-year-old and a 12-year-old were arrested after a woman claimed to have been forced out of her vehicle at gunpoint.
Around 11:30 a.m., the woman told officers that two males approached her car, one of them pointed a gun, and they drove away. According to WCBM, citing WBFF, radio traffic quickly identified the stolen vehicle as a white Toyota racing toward the county. A video provided to the Citizen app showed the Baltimore Police aviation unit circling above and transmitting directions to ground units while officers issued directives. Police suspect that the same couple attempted a carjacking just minutes earlier. There have been no names released.
Spike in juvenile carjackings
The arrests come in the midst of a rash of adolescent carjackings that has alarmed Baltimore citizens and increased pressure on prosecutors and juvenile services. Hoodline previously highlighted an alarming increase in teen carjackings in northwest Baltimore late last year, a pattern that has been echoed in several other recent occurrences across the city.
As the city deals with chronic criminals and young youths drawn into violent crime, community leaders have advocated for a combination of stricter responsibility and significant preventative programs. Neighbors in the most recent instance expressed similar frustration. “They’re messing up the city, guy. “We want to live and be happy,” resident Mr. Wiggins told WCBM.
Police stated the two kids were brought to juvenile jail and charged. It was unclear whether either suspect had a prior record.
What happens next
Because the elder suspect is 16, Maryland law authorizes prosecutors to file adult charges for certain violent offenses, such as armed carjacking. Drew Cochran explains that framework. At the same time, state lawmakers are discussing reforms to how and when children can be charged in adult court, a struggle that WBAL has covered this legislative session.
Investigators confirmed that they are still investigating Monday’s carjacking and the related attempted carjacking, and they have not revealed any new information. The department is encouraging anyone with knowledge to contact investigators as police continue their efforts to reduce youth-involved violent crime.
Leave a Reply