The owner of a Kia Soul which led police in Los Angeles on a televised chase has spoken out about the incident. He’s upset that the five teenagers who stole and trashed his ride are now facing essentially zero consequences for the crime.
Car thieves in Tijuana love to target Asian vehicles.
Armond Black watched the police pursuit unfold on live television, wondering at the time if that was his stolen Kia on the screen. He told NBCLA that he thought it would be ironic if it was his vehicle which had been swiped from his driveway the day before.
Of course it turned out to be his ride and inside it were five teenager having a blast before they abandoned the Kia and tried running away on foot. Police were able to arrest the suspects, all of whom were under the age of 18.
The driver was booked for operating a stolen car. But the other four were released into the custody of their parents. That’s what really gets Black.
He rightly points out that the kids could potentially break in and steal another car immediately. After all, when there are zero consequences for doing that, what’s to keep teenagers from being recreational or even professional thieves?
This is something we’ve pointed out repeatedly. The old mentality of taking it easy on underage offenders isn’t working out so well in these modern times. Kids are committing all kinds of crimes, something we didn’t see forty years ago.
In fact, there are car theft rings which actively recruit kids as young as 8 to boost vehicles. They do this because they know the youth won’t spend time in jail and get a slap on the wrist, enabling them to keep thieving.
As for Black, he’s had his eyes opened to something many don’t want to acknowledge. His Kia has been totaled, a common thing for a recovered stolen car, and now he’s facing financial fallout. He believes the teens should be facing consequences commensurate with the crime, otherwise he’s not being served actual justice.
We agree, but many lawmakers and prosecutors don’t. And that’s the real problem.
Image via NBCLA/YouTube
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