Shootings, carjackings, serious assaults… An 11-year-old boy was arrested after spending a month committing various crimes in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
According to the police chief of the American municipality, Harold Medina said that the child constituted “a danger to the community”.
“It is disappointing to see an 11-year-old arrested for a crime ranging from burglary to shooting with a gun. But the behavior of this armed individual was getting worse and he posed a danger to the community. We need to do something about the toxic mix of guns and social media. Children need consequences,” he said on the social network X.
Police believe the boy’s criminal adventures began on May 5 with the theft of a Kia Forte. For a month, he would have accumulated criminal experiences, including robbing a convenience store and shooting people with a gun, according to Global News.
He now faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery, conspiracy, shooting at or from a motor vehicle, shooting into an occupied dwelling, unlawful possession of a weapon by a minor, non-residential burglary, criminal damage to property over US$1,000, and conspiracy to commit a fourth-degree felony.
A worrying trend
The child is believed to be part of a group of juvenile delinquents known as the “Kia Boyz” after a 12-year-old victim who called police when the group attempted to break into her home. reported the English media.
The group would join forces with the “Kia Boys” internet trend that is starting to take over in the United States. These juvenile delinquents are said to use a special trick to unlock Kia vehicles and steal them. They only need a USB stick and a screwdriver.
They would film themselves starting the vehicles before driving them erratically, often causing accidents. The videos would then be shared on the web to encourage other young people to do the same, according to Ars Technica.
Fortunately, the “Kia Boys” trend is not as big a scourge in Canada, because Canadian Kia cars must be equipped with electronic immobilizers under a Transport Canada regulation.
