Schoolboy, 12, steals numerous cars and flogs them for £25 in 'GTA heist gone wrong'

A 12-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of stealingcarsand flogging them for less than £25.

The pre-teen was apprehended on Saturday, June 28, in Pontiac, Michigan, an area historically known for its now-shuttered General Motors automobile manufacturing plants.

According to a statement released by Sheriff Michael Bouchard, Oakland County Sheriff's Department officers caught the young suspect breaking into cars in a business parking lot in the former motoring heartland of America.

The minor, who remains unidentified on account of his age, was even clutching a license plate when Michigan police apprehended him.

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WCRZ reports that there had been a series of car thefts in the area, with four vehicles pinched from one company alone. For weeks, investigators tried to solve the case, and, after setting up a stakeout over the weekend, they finally cracked it.

In their public statement, the Oakland County Sheriff's Department shared: "Through their investigation, detectives learned the boy had taken three or four vehicles over the past month, selling at least one of them for $30."

The statement continues: "The suspect entered numerous vehicles in the parking lot and when he was stopped and apprehended, he was carrying a license plate."

At the time of writing, it's unclear whether or not the individual who bought the hugely discounted stolen vehicle was also slapped in cuffs.

The youngster, whose antics have been compared to the video game Grand Theft Auto, is being held in Oakland County Children's Village, a juvenile detention centre which, a per its official website, "offers a safe, structured, therapeutic environment for youth that includes secure detention, residential treatment, and shelter care."

It's hoped that this early brush with the law could be the wake-up call the lad needs to get himself back on the straight and narrow, with Sheriff Bouchard holding out hope of a brighter future for him going forward.

The sheriff stated: "This young man is on a very bad path, attempting to live his own Grand Theft Auto. Hopefully, intervention by the courts will send him on a better life path as well as stopping the constant theft from this business."

The Detroit News reports that the state of Michigan has seen a steep rise in car thefts over recent years, with a startling 140 per cent increased in stolen vehicles noted in Oakland County between the years 2019 to 2023, as per State Police data.

According to law enforcement officials, several factors have contributed towards this significant hike, including organised gangs targeting vehicles, technological advances which have made it possible to unlock or start cars remotely.

Macomb County Sheriff's Cmdr. Jason Abro, said: "It's a huge problem, not just here, but across the country. We're throwing everything in our toolbox at it."

Do you have a story to share? Email me at julia.banim@reachplc.com

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