Columbus Police say they have seen an increase in teenage car thefts. They say some of the thieves are only 11 years old.
Columbus police said they had seen an increase in teenage car thefts, some of whom were only 11 years old.
Whether or not the police can arrest the thieves, Sgt. James Fuqua said they see younger people engaging in car thefts.
“Many of these children had no prior record or were not children who traditionally caused problems. Unfortunately, younger people are left to their own devices with a lot of free time and here are some of the consequences, ”said Sgt. Fuqua.
Columbus Police said one of the best ways to avoid having your car stolen is to never leave it unattended.
“Most of the time at gas stations, people tend to leave the car at a gas station and think it’s no big deal and then a car goes missing,” said Sgt. Fuqua.
What Gary Lyons had to learn the hard way.
“You never stop kicking yourself because you feel like you’ve made every mistake in the book by running your car while you walked into the store,” Lyons said.
Lyons had his truck stolen while leaving his car unattended to buy a few things at a gas station. Columbus police said they were able to track down a 17-year-old person in charge.
“It changes your entire attitude and perspective on people in general. I’ll never trust people again, ”Lyons said.
But while the number of car thefts has increased, the number of other break-ins in the city of Columbus has been falling.
We also checked the number of car thefts in two other cities.
18 vehicles were stolen in Gahanna this year, 12 of them in the same period last year. In Hilliard, 20 vehicles have been stolen since the beginning of the year, 16 last year.
