A juvenile allegedly took a parent's vehicle Wednesday afternoon and led Oklahoma City police on a brief pursuit that included striking three vehicles and carjacking another person before the ordeal ended in northwest Oklahoma City. No injuries were reported, and the juvenile was taken into custody once the vehicle was disabled.
According to News 9, the juvenile stole a parent's vehicle before police began pursuing the juvenile. Authorities say the juvenile struck three vehicles, then carjacked another person before striking yet another vehicle, which disabled the car and brought the episode to a close.
Police described the incident as “never a full chase,” the station reported, suggesting officers never engaged in a prolonged high-speed pursuit despite the string of collisions and the carjacking. The pursuit ended near Portland Avenue and Highline Boulevard in northwest Oklahoma City, where the juvenile's vehicle was disabled after the final collision.
Juvenile Taken to Detention Facility, No Injuries Reported
Once the vehicle was disabled, the juvenile was transported to the juvenile facility, per the same account. Despite the multiple crashes and the carjacking, there were no reported injuries from the incident.
The sequence of events — a stolen family car, three collisions, and a carjacking — unfolded Wednesday afternoon.
Pursuit Policy Debate Simmers in Background
In a 2022 interview with KOCO, Police Chief Wade Gourley said the department's policy did not stop officers from chasing suspects, telling the station, “We're still allowed to chase.” Gourley said the policy was issued as a chief's directive rather than a formal procedure because, in his words, “It's a lot more difficult to change a procedure than it is a directive.”
An officer who spoke to KOCO anonymously said they had “seen an increase in suspects running and getting away” under the current approach. Gourley has pointed to officer safety as part of the reasoning behind the policy, noting that “police officers were getting killed pretty regularly throwing stop sticks.”
Other Recent Pursuits Involving Young Drivers
Wednesday's incident is not the only recent case involving a young driver fleeing Oklahoma City-area law enforcement. In a separate pursuit, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said a 16-year-old driver fled an attempted traffic stop in a stolen car, reaching speeds over 100 mph before troopers performed a tactical maneuver to stop the vehicle near Northwest 36th Street and East Overholser Drive around 1 a.m. Tuesday, according to News 9. The driver, who was alone in the car, was not hurt and was taken into custody.
In another case detailed by KOCO, a short chase in southeast Oklahoma City ended in a crash near Northeast 23rd Street and North Lincoln Boulevard after police tried to stop a stolen car carrying two juveniles near Northeast 8th Street. The driver ran a red light and sped away, and the fleeing car ultimately flipped onto a truck driven by Jeffery Robbins, who said his truck rolled twice after being hit. The 15-year-old driver faced a felony charge of driving an unauthorized vehicle among other charges, and both boys were booked into a juvenile detention center in Oklahoma City, per that report.
It remains unclear whether these separate incidents are connected to Wednesday's pursuit or reflect a broader pattern, but they underscore the recurring challenge facing Oklahoma City police as they balance pursuit policy with the risks posed by young, unlicensed drivers behind the wheel of stolen vehicles.
