A 3-year-old girl was killed Saturday afternoon in the Carrollton Ridge neighborhood of Baltimore after police say she was struck by a vehicle driven by a 14-year-old. Officers later located the car and detained the teen driver, authorities said.
Police responded around 1 p.m. to the 1800 block of West Pratt Street, where they found the child suffering from life-threatening injuries, according to a news release from the Baltimore Police Department reported by The Baltimore Banner. She was taken to a hospital, where she later died. Investigators said the driver initially left the scene, but officers shared a description of the vehicle and later located it. A 14-year-old, who was allegedly behind the wheel of a car reported stolen by a relative shortly before the crash, was detained, and detectives are continuing to investigate, according to the release.
The deadly collision adds to a series of cases this year in which juveniles have been tied to stolen-vehicle incidents in Baltimore. In one February case, three 14-year-olds were arrested after a stolen car struck a Baltimore officer, part of a run of auto theft stories that frequently feature teens. Police1 summarized local coverage of that incident along with data on juvenile involvement in auto theft.
Auto thefts have surged in recent years
Baltimore has been grappling with a sharp increase in car thefts that city officials and local journalists have tracked over the past few years. In one analysis, nearly 1,000 auto thefts were reported in May of a recent year, and part of that spike was linked to a social media trend and security weaknesses in certain Kia and Hyundai models. The Baltimore Banner detailed the surge and the steps taken afterward to address it.
Detectives say the investigation into Saturday’s crash remains active, and no additional details have been released. This story will be updated as authorities provide more information.
