An 11-year-old from New Mexico has been arrested after allegedly going on a month-long crime spree including shooting people, stealing cars and crashing a stolen vehicle into a storefront.
Albuquerque police Chief Harold Medina said it was “disappointing to see (an) 11-year-old arrested” but the boy was “a danger to the community.”
“Kids need consequences,” Medina wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “We need to do something about the toxic mix of guns and social media.”
The 11-year-old was allegedly part of a group of juveniles known as the “Kia Boyz” who were known to frequent the area, according to a 12-year-old victim who called police when the group tried to break into her home. She was able to identify some of the minors to police.
“Kia Boys” are an internet trend that extends far beyond Albuquerque. The Kia Boys aren’t one single group, but rather a collection of teens and youth who use a particular hack to break into Kia vehicles. The surprisingly simple technique only requires a USB and something like a screwdriver to pry open the car’s steering column.
The car thieves often film themselves hot-wiring and taking cars for joyrides, sometimes crashing the vehicles and driving erratically. The footage is then uploaded to social media for clout, prompting other young people to try the illegal stunt too. The trend has been linked to fatal crashes and thousands of car thefts across America, according to Ars Technica.
It appears that this 11-year-old boy was participating in the Kia Boys trend. Police have linked him to at least three stolen Kias, according to local broadcaster KOB4.
It’s believed that the boy’s crime spree began on May 5, when he allegedly took part in stealing a Kia Forte in northeast Albuquerque. The car was recovered an hour later.
A week later, on May 12, a woman reported that there were four minors throwing rocks at her home, trying to break her windows. The woman was struck in the leg by a rock. That same day, a 12-year-old called 911 and said a group of minors were also throwing rocks at her house and trying to break in. This was the caller who identified some of the boys to police and said they were known as the Kia Boyz.
Over time, it appears the group’s crimes escalated. On May 17, a group of juveniles drove a stolen grey Kia into the front security door of a convenience store and robbed the establishment. Over US$15,000 was lost in stolen goods and damage to the building.
On May 29, a man called 911 and reported that he had been shot at outside his home by a group of four juveniles who were driving a Kia. The caller said he noticed a suspicious Kia parked outside his home and he asked the boys inside to leave. The group left but returned shortly after and shot at the man. Thankfully, he wasn’t hit and police retrieved a 9-mm casing inside his residence.
On June 1, Albuquerque police received reports about a shooting and learned that a man had been shot in the hand. A 9-mm gun was found at the scene but police were not able to locate the victim.
The 11-year-old boy who was arrested is believed to have been involved in all of these incidents. He has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery, conspiracy, shooting at or from a motor vehicle, shooting into an occupied dwelling, unlawful possession of a weapon by a minor, non-residential burglary, criminal damage to property over US$1,000 and conspiracy to commit a fourth-degree felony.
Albuquerque’s police chief wrote in a statement that he hopes state legislators “will take action to deal with the growing issue of young juveniles who are using guns and stealing cars, while trying to get attention on social media.”
The Kia Boys trend isn’t as much of a concern in Canada, because Canadian Kias are required to have electronic immobilizers, unlike our neighbours to the south. This common anti-theft device prevents vehicles from being started unless the correct key is present, making them harder to hot-wire. Transport Canada requires immobilizers be on all Canadian market vehicles built after 2007, but no such regulation exists in the U.S.