Carjacking and Robbery Spree Comes to an End, 9-Year-Old Placed Under Arrest
Police in Baltimore, Maryland, arrested three juveniles and two adults on Sunday over a spree of armed carjackings and robberies in the southeastern part of the city.
Patrol officers met a 32-year-old woman on Sunday afternoon who said that four males approached her vehicle, with one allegedly smashing her window using a metal tool, according to a report from WBFF-TV.
The woman said that the suspect then dragged her from the vehicle and fled in her car.
Within an hour of the report, officers found the car after a description was dispatched.
They found five individuals in the vehicle, arresting the occupants after a brief pursuit on foot. Those taken into custody included a 21-year-old, a 19-year-old, a 16-year-old, and two boys aged 15 and nine, per WBFF-TV.
The three older suspects were taken to the Central Booking Intake Facility and charged for their alleged crimes, while the 15-year-old was taken to the Department of Juvenile Services.
The nine-year-old was released to his parents.
Police learned that the same band allegedly committed an attempted unarmed robbery and assault that happened shortly before the armed carjacking.
The arrests come after the implementation of a new Maryland state law allowing children between 10 and 12 years old to be charged with auto theft and firearm possession, according to WJZ-TV.
The reforms also lengthen time limits for juvenile probation, increase misdemeanor offenses from six-month to one-year probations, and raise the maximum initial probation for a felony from one year to two years.
Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates told the outlet that the law “gives the judges the ability to bring young people back before them when they violate their probation,” per WJZ-TV.
“Where we’ve circled that young person the very first time because there’s a level of accountability,” he said.
“So, when the police make the arrest, that young person will come in and everybody will understand what’s going on with this young person.”
The incident in Baltimore occurred days before another group of young people brandishing firearms tried to rob a 25-year-old man in Harris County, Texas.
But the would-be victim drew his own firearm and shot three of the four assailants.
One had severe injuries from multiple gunshot wounds, but the other two who were shot faced less severe injuries.
Harris County Sheriff’s Office Major Saul Suarez said in a statement that the incident indeed seems to have occurred because of an “attempted aggravated robbery.”
“During the incident, the juveniles approached the males and they were displaying pistols. The adult male retrieved his own pistol and shot the juveniles,” he remarked.
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