On January 17, Nebraska State Patrol published a press release detailing a police chase that occurred at approximately 9:35 p.m. in Buffalo County, Nebraska. Although the names of the suspects weren’t released, state troopers identified the driver as a 13-year-old female and the passenger as a 10-year-old male.
A state trooper was heading down Interstate 80 when they came across a Nissan Pathfinder traveling roughly 35 miles per hour – which was well under the speed limit. To ensure the streets were safe, the trooper attempted a traffic stop at mile marker 276 – at which point, the vehicle ‘accelerated and fled.’
In response, the trooper initiated a police chase in pursuit of the vehicle – at this time, the state trooper had no idea there was a child driving the vehicle or a child in the passenger seat. “The vehicle reached speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour as it fled eastbound on I-80,” the State Patrol wrote in the release.
At mile marker 288, a second trooper deployed stop sticks – a leading tire deflation device used by most law enforcement. While the vehicle didn’t come to a stop, the vehicle was slowed as it exited the I-80 and traveled northbound at the Shelton interchange. It didn’t take long for the trooper to catch up to them.
After performing a ‘tactical vehicle intervention,’ the vehicle finally came to a stop. At that point, the officer realized two children were involved – a 13-year-old female driver and a 10-year-old male passenger. They were immediately apprehended, taken into custody, and cited for a flurry of serious criminal charges.
With the suspects off the road – a police chase that lasted approximately 16 minutes – troopers began to search the vehicle – where they found a firearm, drug paraphernalia, and a ‘small amount of marijuana.’ The two children were taken into protective custody and it’s unknown if they were assigned lawyers.
The driver, who has yet to be identified, was booked for “flight to avoid arrest, willful reckless driving, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of drug paraphernalia, and numerous traffic violations.” The passenger was booked on carrying a concealed weapon and possession of drug paraphernalia.
We Saw a Similar Police Chase in 2015
The story above takes us back to 2015 when a 13-year-old boy was arrested after leading cops on a police chase with his 8-year-old sister in the car. Police were on the lookout for a black Nissan Altima that was ‘driving erratically’ when it was spotted in Clinton Township, Michigan – leading to a traffic stop.
The 13-year-old boy pulled over to the side of the road, but drove off at ‘blazing speed’ before the officer could get up to the vehicle – at this point, the officer had no idea the driver was a 13-year-old boy. It didn’t take long for their vehicle to spin out of control. The kids got out of the car and ran, but were caught.
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As a result of the police chase, the 13-year-old driver was arrested and charged with unlawful driving away, fleeing and eluding, and resisting and obstructing a police officer. While he was taken to Macomb Juvenile Justice Center, his sister – the 8-year-old passenger – wasn’t booked on any criminal charges.
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