Boy, 10, Arrested For Driving Car By School Playground In Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis police arrested a 10-year-old boy for driving a stolen vehicle recklessly across a crowded school playground.

The boy was booked into the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center on Thursday for probable cause second-degree assault.

The incident happened on Sept. 20 at Nellie Stone Johnson School in north Minneapolis.

"Fortunately, no children on the playground were struck by the driver," police said in a news release Friday.

The boy drove the stolen car across the grass and sidewalk between the school and playground. Surveillance footage showed school staff frantically working to move children out of harm's way.

The 10-year-old’s family is cooperative with police and has asked for help to keep their son or anyone else from being injured or killed, according to police.

"It is unfathomable that a 10-year-old boy has been involved in this level of criminal activity without effective intervention," Police Chief Brian O’Hara said.

"Prison is not an acceptable option for a 10-year-old boy. But the adults who can stop this behavior going forward must act now to help this child and his family. This is only one example of the revolving door we're dealing with – arresting and re-arresting the same juveniles for auto-theft and other violent crimes. This is a complex issue, and we need every entity involved in intervention to come together immediately to establish short- and long-term solutions."

The 10-year-old boy has an extensive police record, with at least 30 entries dating back to May 2023, according to police.

He has been arrested at least twice before for auto theft-related crimes, and is listed as a suspect in more than 12 cases that range from auto theft to robbery to assault with a dangerous weapon, police said.

The remaining entries are mostly related to runaway type cases, according to police.