A 12-year-old boy took his grandfather’s vehicle on a joy ride of nearly 160 miles over a mountain range.
USA Today reports that police in Issaquah, Washington, notified the Sheriff's Office in Grant County, 150 miles away, that a 12-year-old boy had stolen his grandfather’s Volkswagen hatchback and was believed to be headed to the city of Moses Lake.
The boy’s two-and-a-half hour journey took him over Snoqualmie Pass, which has an elevation of 3,000 feet.
The day before Thanksgiving, sheriff’s deputies found the vehicle parked in a residential area nearby. After approaching it, the 12-year-old led the authorities on a pursuit. It didn’t last long since the area is full of curved streets, so the deputies utilized the PIT maneuver to bring the vehicle to a stop.
“For a 12-year-old to take a vehicle, and take it that far, we’re happy we were able to stop him before he hurt himself or hurt somebody else,” said the sheriff’s office spokesperson Kyle Foreman in a statement, per USA Today.
The child ended up being booked at the Chelan County Juvenile Justice Center under the suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle and eluding a felony.
