COLUMBUS – Whitehall police are again dealing with some youthful car thieves, one of whom led officers on a high-speed chase before jumping out of the moving vehicle.
Both teens arrested in the incidents this week had been arrested previously for auto theft-related offenses.
A 16-year-old boy was arrested after a high-speed pursuit through the city that began when officers spotted a stolen car at approximately 1:15 a.m. Wednesday, according to information posted on the Whitehall Division of Police social media feed.
The teen, who was wearing a neck brace after suffering an injury during an earlier incident involving a stolen vehicle, jumped out of the moving car and officers brought the car to a halt by deploying stop sticks (see video).
— Whitehall Police (@WhitehallPD) April 27, 2022
The youth was taken to Mount Carmel East Hospital to be treated for minor injuries, police said, and was taken to the Village Network Reception Center after failing to meet the criteria for housing at the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center.
The incident occurred less than 12 hours after a 15-year-old was caught driving a stolen Toyota.
The teen drive to elude officers who spotted the vehicle at approximately 1:50 p.m. but pulled over on a side street (pictured above) where they tried to run, along with their 16-year-old passenger, police said.
The driver of the stolen car also had been arrested recently in connection with other incidents involving stolen vehicles.
The teens in this incident also failed to meet the criteria for being held in the Franklin County juvenile facility and were taken to the Village Network center.