KOCHI (TR) – Drive it like you stole it.
Kochi Prefectural Police apprehended three teenagers after the vehicle they are alleged to have stolen lost a wheel during a high-speed chase in Kochi City, reports Nippon News Network (Aug. 4).
At approximately 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, three male and female middle school student, aged 14 and 15, stole a passenger vehicle from an apartment parking lot. The vehicle had been left temporarily unattended by a woman with the key in the ignition.
About an hour later, the vehicle was spotted by law enforcement and four patrol cars gave chase. The driver of the stolen car ignored signals and reached speeds of around 100 kilometers per hour. About 10 minutes after the pursuit began, the stolen vehicle came to a halt after the left front tire suffered a puncture and the whole wheel separated from the axle.
Police then apprehended the three students, all of whom admit to charges of theft. “There was a place we wanted to go, so we stole the car by searching on foot,” one of the suspects is quoted by police.