Glendale police arrested two boys on suspicion of nearly a dozen car thefts in the West Valley, after one of their dads alerted police.
The boys, ages 12 and 13, are accused of stealing the cars in west Glendale as part of a summer theft spree, according to Glendale police. The pair targeted Kias and Hyundais. Police had started investigating an uptick in car thefts around 67th and Maryland avenues a few months ago.
The father of one of the boys contacted police and said his son had been sneaking out of the house and was known to steal vehicles, according to the police report.
On August 12, officers responding to reports of a suspicious vehicle, found the two boys running through a neighborhood and jumping fences. Using a drone, they located the suspects
underneath an RV trailer in a home’s backyard.
Both boys were then taken into custody, according to police.
Both boys admitted to being involved in multiple car thefts during a two-month timeframe over the summer, according to Glendale police. The boys described using a screwdriver to pop the cars’ back windows before they ripped off the steering columns to damage the ignition and start the cars.
Glendale police had also been tracking a TikTok account showing videos of Kias and Hyundais being stolen and driven recklessly. One boy reportedly admitted he had access to the account.
Detectives recovered multiple stolen vehicles during the investigation, including a Kia Optima and a Hyundai Elantra that had not yet been reported stolen.
The 13-year-old suspect was booked into the Glendale City Jail on suspicion of five counts of theft, one count of attempted theft, possession of burglary tools and criminal trespassing.
The 12-year-old suspect was booked on six counts related to breaking into vehicles.
The investigation remains ongoing, and additional charges may be filed, according to Glendale police.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 2 young boys accused of nearly a dozen Glendale car thefts over summer
