Boy, 12, arrested after alleged joyride leads to police chase in Texas

A 12-year-old boy in Texas is in custody just days after being released from juvenile detention after police allege he led them on a chase when he went for a “joy ride.”

The boy, whose name is not being released, had previous run-ins with the law, NBC-affiliate KXAN reports.

“He had just gotten out of juvenile detention that day, and just went for a joyride,” Cmdr. Jereme Brinkmann with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office explained.

The incident began late Monday night in Georgetown, Texas, when they stopped behind a car at a red light which the driver then turned onto FM 1460. According to police, the driver then proceeded onto the wrong side of the road.

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Brinkmann said there was a new intersection in the area so it was possible it was someone who didn’t realize they were going the wrong way. He said there used to be a two-lane road but recently became a four-lane divided road.

When the authorities attempted to pull the driver over, the chase continued for about a mile-and-a-half, or about 1.6 kilometres.

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He passed several “wrong way” or “do not enter” signs before eventually being stopped.

“It’s extremely dangerous for the obvious reasons,” Brinkmann told KXAN. “You could have a head-on collision and injure everyone in both vehicles. That’s the big risk, that you can cause a fatality accident or serious accident.”

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Police found a 15-year-old and 16-year-old in the car with the boy when they approached the vehicle, which KXAN reports was the boy’s mother’s car.

According to police, the 12-year-old’s parents were notified and he was brought into custody.

The boy is facing a felony charge of evading an officer, while the other two are not being charged.