Harrington Police arrest 14-year-old for stealing car, leading police on chase

HARRINGTON, Del. – Harrington Police arrested a 14-year-old early Wednesday morning for allegedly stealing a vehicle and leading police on a brief pursuit.

According to police, a call came in for a vehicle theft at around 3:30 a.m., at the Royal Farms on Milford-Harrington Highway. It was then learned that the victim had driven to the Royal Farms and left the vehicle unlocked and running in front of the store while they went inside. While the victim was inside the store, an unknown suspect got in the vehicle and fled the scene.

Initially police were unable to find the vehicle, however a short time later an officer that was traveling home after ending their shift located the vehicle on South DuPont Highway just south of Camden. The officer tried to stop the vehicle, but the vehicle refused to stop and led officers on a pursuit onto Route 10. The chase ended when the vehicle crashed as it tried to turn onto Bay Road.

The driver, a 14-year-old juvenile, was taken into custody without further incident. There was also a loaded handgun recovered at the scene belonging to the victim, who was legally allowed to carry. The juvenile was taken to Kent General Hospital for treatment of minor injuries sustained as a result of the accident.

The teen was charged with theft of a firearm, theft of a motor vehicle, disregarding a police officer signal, criminal mischief under $1,000, criminal mischief over $1,000, and several other traffic violations. The teen is being held at the Stevenson House Juvenile Detention Facility on $3,000 secured bond.