Police, who were notified about a minivan that was driving erratically on the highway, only briefly chased the 11-year-old due to public safety concerns
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by Brad Anderson
4 hours ago
- It’s unclear how the child managed to get the keys to the minivan.
- The van flipped onto its side after being driven through a flooded section of road at ~60 mph.
- The 11-year-old was transported to a hospital but didn’t suffer any visible injuries.
If you were like us when you were 11 years old, you may have enjoyed playing Gran Turismo or Need for Speed during the holiday period. But an 11-year-old in Oroville, California, recently decided to drive a real car on the street, promoting a quick response from authorities who briefly chased them before the minor crashed.
The bizarre scene unfolded on the morning of December 14 after officers from the California Highway Patrol received multiple reports of a reckless driver on State Route 99, who was apparently traveling at high speed and weaving across lanes. It didn’t take long for the officers to locate the vehicle and attempt a traffic stop. However, the minor refused to pull over and turned onto southern SR-70.
Read: 11-Year Old Boy Caught Driving A BMW X5 Towing A Caravan
At this stage, police called off the chase to keep the public safe. Roughly an hour later, the child’s guardian informed police they were only 11 years old, and authorities started to receive new reports about them being back on the road. Police located them once again, but they sped away. Authorities say that instead of activating their lights and sirens and initiating a chase, they decided to follow the child and monitor their whereabouts.
Before long, the kid’s joyride ended after driving through a flooded section of road at around 60 mph (96 km/h). The car flipped and came to a rest on its side. Officers from the California Highway Patrol removed the car’s windshield and assisted in pulling out the child. They were transported to a local hospital but were wearing a seatbelt and didn’t suffer any visible injuries.
It’s unclear how the 11-year-old got behind the wheel of the silver minivan and on the highway, and there’s no word on whether police will charge them.