Teenagers Arrested After 100km Unlicensed Joyride from Seoul to Cheonan

[Anchor]

A group of teenagers has been apprehended by police after driving a stolen vehicle for over 100 kilometers from Seoul to Cheonan. They sped through crowded city streets without a driver's license. Although the police requested arrest warrants, the prosecution declined to file them, citing the suspects' status as minors.

TJB reporter Kim So-young has the story.

[Reporter]

Late in the evening, the streets of downtown Cheonan are bustling with traffic.

A passenger car speeds through the slow-moving traffic, with a police vehicle 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, 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 downtown Cheonan.

Police found that the teenagers had been looking for unlocked cars to steal valuables, but after discovering the car keys inside, they decided to steal the vehicle itself 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.

The 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.

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

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

Reported by Kim So-young (TJB) | Video by Choi Woon-ki (TJB) | Graphics by Kim Yoon-jung (TJB) | Footage provided by viewers Kim Kyung-hwa and Yoon Min-woo
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.