Kids led police on chase through west metro in stolen Porsche

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Three children under 16 were arrested in the west metro after leading police on a chase in a stolen luxury car Tuesday morning.

Shortly after 4:30 a.m., Wayzata police responded to an automated license plate reader hit on a stolen car near Wayzata Boulevard and Gleason Lake Road.

The vehicle, a 2018 Porsche Macan, had been reported stolen out of Eden Praire on Monday.

Officers located the stolen Porsche and attempted to conduct a traffic stop but the driver fled. The Wayzata Police Department says officers were led on a "lengthy pursuit" through Minnetonka and Golden Valley.

A PIT maneuver was eventually conducted, stopping the vehicle.

Police say several juveniles fled from the vehicle on foot. Three of them were arrested.

Inside the stolen car, police report finding a loaded stolen handgun.

The Wayzata Police Department says this is the second time in five weeks officers have encountered juveniles in a stolen vehicle with loaded stolen guns.

"This type of criminal activity has become all too frequent for officers across the metro," the department said in a statement. "These kids are coming to our communities to commit crimes.  Our officers have done a remarkable job in dealing with these dangerous high stress situations in an effort to keep our community safe."

Children stealing cars has become a troubling trend for law enforcement agencies across the Twin Cities. Last month, four children in a stolen vehicle were shot in Minneapolis.

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office's Youth Auto Theft Early Intervention Initiative is just one part of the solution. It's a program designed to respond quickly before the kids involved or the community gets hurt.

However, some of the metro's top cops think that there needs to be harsher consequences .

So far this year, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office has charged 122 juvenile auto theft cases.