A late-morning carjacking left part of Baltimore on edge yesterday as a police helicopter circled overhead and officers tracked a stolen car through the city. By the end of the search, police said a 16-year-old and a 12-year-old were under arrest after a woman reported being forced out of her vehicle at gunpoint.
The drama unfolded around 11:30 a.m., when the woman told officers two males walked up, one pointed a gun, and they took off in her car. According to WCBM, which cited WBFF, radio traffic soon described the stolen vehicle as a white Toyota speeding toward the county. Video posted to the Citizen app showed the Baltimore Police aviation unit circling above and relaying directions to ground units while officers gave commands. Police said the same pair is also suspected in an attempted carjacking just minutes earlier. No names have been released.
Spike in juvenile carjackings
The arrests land in the middle of a wave of juvenile carjackings that has rattled Baltimore residents and turned up the heat on prosecutors and juvenile services. Hoodline previously reported an alarming rise in teen carjackings in parts of northwest Baltimore late last year, a trend that has been mirrored in several other recent incidents citywide.
Community leaders have been calling for a mix of tougher accountability and serious prevention efforts as the city wrestles with repeat offenders and young teens pulled into violent crime. Neighbors in the latest incident voiced similar frustration. “They messin' the city up man. We wanna live and have happiness,” resident Mr. Wiggins stated, as detailed by WCBM.
Police said the two juveniles were taken to juvenile detention and charged accordingly. It was not immediately clear whether either suspect has a prior record.
What happens next
Because the older suspect is 16, Maryland law allows prosecutors in some cases to seek adult charges for certain violent crimes, including armed carjacking. That framework is explained by Drew Cochran. At the same time, state lawmakers are debating changes to how and when minors can be charged in adult court, a fight detailed by WBAL this legislative session.
Investigators say the probe into Monday's carjacking and the related attempted carjacking remains active, and police have not released additional details. The department is asking anyone with information to contact detectives as officers continue their push to rein in youth-involved violent crime.
