A group of teenagers were caught on camera laughing after crashing a stolen Kia Soul into a Los Angeles storefront, following a police pursuit of the vehicle believed to have been stolen. The teenagers’ apparent amusement at the aftermath of the crash, which caused property damage and ended a dangerous pursuit, illustrates the troubling lack of appreciation for the seriousness of their actions that characterizes some youth involvement in vehicle theft and reckless driving. The case adds to the broader pattern of teenage involvement in the Kia theft trend and the casual attitude toward consequences that has accompanied it.
The combination of youth, vehicle theft, and reckless driving culminating in a crash that the perpetrators found amusing reflects deeper social concerns about the attitudes and circumstances that lead young people into this behavior. The Kia theft epidemic, fueled by a widely publicized security vulnerability, drew many young people into vehicle theft, and the casual attitude toward the serious consequences — including property damage, danger to the public, and their own legal jeopardy — is a troubling aspect of the phenomenon. The laughing teenagers face charges that may finally impress upon them the seriousness that their behavior at the scene did not reflect.
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