STOCKTON
POSTED 5:54 PM, JUNE 30, 2016, BY KAY RECEDE
They’re not old enough to get their driver’s licenses, but Stockton police officers said two 13-year-old boys are suspected of stealing a car and reckless driving.
The police department said the car was a Toyota and was taken sometime between Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning from 13th Street in south Stockton.
For families who live on 13th Street, hearing about two teens stealing a car from their block isn’t very surprising,
“I didn’t hear anything, but I can believe it,” neighbor Audre Armstead said.
The Stockton Police Department said the owner noticed it gone and called police on Wednesday morning.
Thirty minutes later, it ended up on Gettysburg Place, about a 20-minute drive from where it was stolen.
“Although they are juveniles, they’re old enough to steal a car and obviously old enough to be arrested,” said Rosie Calderon, a community service officer with the Stockton Police Department.
While not shocked, the age of the suspects was hard to hear for Juan Rios, who spoke with FOX40 in Spanish.
“It is something sad because it’s a 13-year-old boy,” Rios said.
He added that he can understand how his neighbor must feel for having his car stolen because last year, someone had vandalized his Honda.
“[Someone had] broken the windows of the car, and we went out and we asked around. Nobody knows anything, nobody saw anything,” he said. “I have two girls, my two daughters, younger… and we don’t go out of the house because I don’t feel that it’s safe.”
Other neighbors, like Armstead, believe the city needs more services for young people, more mentors.
“These kids don’t have anything to do… they’ve gotten rid of everything, so what else is there to do but get in trouble?” Armstead said.
As for the two teen suspects, the passenger was caught. The 13-year-old driver is still at large but officers said they know who he is.
“I think it’s just a matter of time,” Calderon said.