Teenagers Steal Car, Lead Police on 100km Chase; Prosecution Denies Arrest Warrant Citing Age

[Anchor]

Teenagers without driver's licenses have been apprehended by police after driving a stolen vehicle for over 100km from Seoul to Cheonan. Although the police requested arrest warrants, the prosecution did not file for them, citing reasons including the fact that the suspects are minors.

TJB reporter Kim So-young has this exclusive report.

[Reporter]

It is late evening in the bustling downtown of Cheonan.

A passenger car speeds through slow-moving traffic, with a police car in hot pursuit.

Soon after, two more police cars join the chase, leading to a tense pursuit in the middle of the city.

Inside the vehicle were four middle and high school students.

They had stolen the car in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, at around 1:00 PM that day and were caught in Cheonan about eight hours later.

Investigations revealed that they had driven without a license for over 100km from Seoul to downtown Cheonan.

Police found that the suspects were looking for unlocked cars to steal valuables when they discovered car keys inside one, prompting them to steal the vehicle and flee.

The police emergency-arrested the driver, a middle school student identified as A, on charges of driving without a license and special larceny, while the other three passengers were arrested on charges of special larceny.

Police requested arrest warrants, citing the danger posed to public safety by the long-distance unlicensed driving and the risk of recidivism.

However, the prosecution did not file for the warrants, taking into account that the suspects admitted to the crime, there was no significant risk of destroying evidence, and they are minors.

Yet, in Cheonan this past May, an elementary school student who was under investigation without detention for vehicle theft and riding in a stolen car repeated the same crime just one week later, leading the court to issue an emergency escort warrant.

Experts emphasize that even if they are not detained, effective measures to prevent recidivism—such as strengthening parental supervision, imposing nighttime curfews, and implementing probation—must be put in place.

(Video reporting: Choi Woon-ki, TJB | Design: Kim Yoon-jung, TJB | Footage courtesy of viewers Kim Kyung-hwa and Yoon Min-woo)

TJB Kim So-young
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.