8 and 13 year old Taken Into Custody
When a Macomb County Sheriff’s Deputy received a warning from dispatch that there was a car speeding and swerving on the highway, he assumed what any other officer would assume in that instance. That it was a drunk or drugged driver behind the wheel. But he couldn’t have been more wrong!
After a concerned citizen contacted 911 about an erratic driver, the nearby deputy sought out the vehicle and reported what he was seeing to the Sheriff. He explained that the vehicle was passing other cars at a high rate of speed and riding on the shoulder of the road. Assuming that he was about to arrest a drunk driver, the deputy set out to intercept the vehicle.
When the deputy signaled for the car to pull over, the driver complied and came to a stop on the shoulder. However, when the deputy stepped out of his patrol car with the intention of addressing the driver, the car suddenly shot back onto the highway and took off again. And the wild car chase was on….
The deputy gave chase, lights flashing, and most likely called for backup, as highway chases can be very dangerous. When the fleeing car finally spun through the median and pulled off the road again, the doors burst open and a pair of children spilled out of the vehicle, and took off running. Unsurprisingly, the pursuing officers were stunned.
The children were eventually taken into custody by the deputies, and questioned about what they had been doing. The pair, a 13-year-old brother and his 8-year-old sister, had taken their dad’s girlfriend’s car out for a joyride. As it turns out, both their father and his girlfriend were asleep at the time and had no idea what had happened until they were awakened by authorities.
Because the children involved in this incident are minors, their names and identities will be shielded by the court. As of now, all we know is that the 13-year-old boy is being detained, and that he has a hearing scheduled in the Macomb County Juvenile Court on Monday, December 28th. Some sources have claimed that he will be charged as an adult.
The girl was sent home with her mother. But aside from that, there is no other information available about whether there will be any other legal repercussions for the 8-year-old. As for the parents, police are investigating both parents at this point, on the grounds that there may be issues of neglect or abuse in play here.