3 teens arrested after early morning chase involving stolen Kia

INDIANAPOLIS – Police arrested three juveniles following an early Thursday morning pursuit on the east side.

According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the investigation started as a shots fired call. The suspects took off in a stolen Kia Soul, police said, leading to a chase.

According to IMPD’s incident report, the case was reported around 3:20 a.m. Thursday in the 3000 block of N. Emerson Avenue.

The pursuit ended in a crash, with the suspects attempting to run away. Officers caught them with help from the Drone Unit and K9 Unit.

Police arrested a 16-year-old, a 15-year-old and a 13-year-old. Preliminary charges included auto theft, resisting law enforcement and possession of a firearm by a minor. All three were checked out by medical staff after the crash.

Officers seized an AR-15-style rifle and multiple cell phones.

The case remains under investigation.

Thursday’s incident is the third incident this week involving armed teens leading police on a pursuit.

The first happened on Sunday. A 14-year-old and a 15-year-old boy carjacked a man at gunpoint at a strip mall near 30th and Kessler Boulevard. Officers chased them until the teens crashed near the state fairgrounds.

Then overnight Wednesday, three teens carjacked a man at gunpoint near 21st and College. The teens, two 17-year-olds and an 18-year-old were eventually arrested after they stole a car and crashed it into a tree.

As for what’s behind the recent rise in crime, both police and Kareem Hines, with New Breed of Youth Mentoring Program, said it’s a multi-faceted problem.

One where the solution involves everyone stepping up to put a stop to this troubling trend.

“Parents definitely, pick your heads up get your eyes off the phone, care about where your kids are,” said Hines. “But also the community, if you see a kid out at a certain time of night, it ain’t snitching, it’s just called care.”

Jenny Dreasler contributed to this report .

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