[Anchor]
Teenagers without driver's licenses have been apprehended by police after driving a stolen vehicle for over 100 kilometers from Seoul to Cheonan. Although the police requested arrest warrants, the prosecution declined to file them, citing reasons including the suspects' status as minors.
TJB reporter Kim So-young has this exclusive report.
[Reporter]
Late in the evening, in the bustling city center of Cheonan.
A passenger car speeds through slow-moving traffic, with police vehicles in hot pursuit.
Soon after, two more police cars join the chase, leading to a tense pursuit in the heart of the city.
Inside the car were four middle and high school students.
They had stolen the vehicle in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, at around 1:00 p.m. that day and were caught in Cheonan about eight hours later.
Investigations revealed that they had driven without a license for over 100 kilometers from Seoul to the center of Cheonan.
Police found that the suspects had been looking for unlocked cars to steal valuables from, but after discovering a car key inside one, they drove off with the vehicle itself.
The police 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.
The police requested arrest warrants, citing the threat to public safety caused 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.
Nevertheless, 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 reoffending must be implemented, such as strengthening parental supervision and imposing restrictions like nighttime curfews and probation.
(Video reporting: Choi Woon-gi, TJB; Design: Kim Yoon-jung, TJB; Footage provided by viewers Kim Kyung-hwa and Yoon Min-woo)
Reported by Kim So-young, TJB
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