12-year-old boy accused of stealing car detained, released for the 10th time

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY Md. ( DC News Now ) — A 12-year-old boy accused of stealing multiple cars from Montgomery County dealerships was apprehended for a tenth time – this time near the University of Maryland’s College Park campus.

As with the nine times before, the boy was released to his parents and will not be charged with a crime.

Shortly before 11:45 p.m. on Sept. 8, a University of Maryland Police Department (UMPD) officer saw a boy riding an e-scooter on the sidewalk in the area of Guildford Drive near Hartwick Road. The officer went to talk with him, but he got off the scooter and tried hiding.

More officials arrived at the scene to look for him, and the boy was found hiding behind some dumpsters in a loading dock in the 4300 block of Hartwick Road.

UMPD said the boy was 12 and that the e-scooter he was on did not belong to him. He also had a key fob belonging to a black Tesla, which was found with its trunk open on nearby Guildford Drive – near the loading dock.

Officers said the car came back to a dealership in Montgomery County, and UMPD alerted the police department there about the Tesla.

Five days before the incident at UMD, the Montgomery County Department of Police (UMPD) said the same 12-year-old boy entered a business on Parklawn Drive, stole a car and fled the scene. He was caught the same day and released to his parents.

MCPD believes the other incidents involve break-ins in Rockville and Bethesda.

In total, UMPD said there are 10 cases involving the same boy, starting from March to the latest incident on Sept. 8. In all of these cases, the boy has not been charged with a crime.

In Maryland , children under 13 can not be charged with a crime unless it is a crime of violence.

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