According to local reports, police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, detained an 11-year-old child last week for allegedly being involved in multiple shootings and a burglary.
According to KOB4, the boy stole a Kia Forte early last month before moving on to more severe actions. He was also allegedly linked to a group of teenagers who flung rocks at homes the next week in an attempt to get into them, injuring one woman and leading a 12-year-old daughter to contact 911. According to KOB4, the girl informed authorities that the group was known as the “Kia Boyz.”
Five days later, the 11-year-old was allegedly involved in a convenience store burglary in which a Kia backed into the front doors, causing over $15,000 in damage. On May 29, he allegedly fired at a guy who ordered a group of children in a Kia parked outside his house to leave. They drove away before returning to fire on the man, according to the outlet.
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Police allegedly linked the child to the gunshot of a man in the hand earlier this month. According to KOB4, officers arrested him without using any force.
“Disappointing to see an 11-year-old arrested for crimes [sic] ranging from burglary to shooting a firearm,” Albuquerque Police Department Chief Harold Medina stated on Friday. “But this armed individual’s behavior was escalating and he was a danger to the community.”
The boy was allegedly charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, shooting at or from a vehicle and into an occupied residence, aggravated battery, and conspiracy, among other offenses. According to KOB4, police struggled to hold him before the governor intervened.
Over the last few years, a fad of stealing Kias and Hyundais has emerged on social media, with users sharing their crimes on TikTok and Instagram. Last year, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez and 17 other attorneys general signed a letter pushing the federal government to recall cars with inadequate anti-theft systems.
“These Hyundai and Kia vehicles’ vulnerability to theft constitutes a defect posing an unreasonable risk to safety, providing [the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration] with an independent basis to order a recall,” they stated. “Even young teenagers are able to access the ignition system and drive off in these vehicles.”