By GREGG MONTGOMERY
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
Two 14-year-olds, a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old are facing juvenile criminal charges after a Kia subcompact car was stolen from an Indianapolis home and other vehicles were damaged at a Fishers Kia dealership, police say.
A news release issued Monday afternoon from Fishers Police Department announced the arrests of the four boys, who are listed as being from Indianapolis.
The release said officers were sent about 5 a.m. Sunday to the Napleton Kia, 13417 Britton Park Road, Fishers. A video system at the dealership notified the Hamilton County Communications Center that people were breaking into vehicles.
Upon officers’ arrival, one person ran north across the property as a black 2014 Kia Soul exited the parking lot. Investigators later learned the subcompact car had been stolen from an Indianapolis home, said the release, which provided no additional details about the theft.
Police chased the Soul northbound in the southbound lanes of State Road 37 until it crossed the median and turned south in the southbound lanes near Greenfield Avenue in Noblesville.
As the pursuit continued, tire-deflation devices were used on State Road 37 before the Soul crashed near the I-69 interchange for 116th Street. The four boys fled from the crashed Soul on foot. The driver was taken into custody a short time later, and the other three boys were found in a nearby trash dumpster.
The Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office will determine how to proceed with the boys’ cases. The news release says the boys face charges of resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, resisting law enforcement-fleeing, unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, auto theft, and criminal mischief.
Based on Indiana Criminal Justice Institute reports, those crimes are not generally ones that would cause the boys to be charged as adults. Indiana law protects the disposition of juvenile cases from public view.
Investigators say two vehicles at the dealership had smashed windows, and one of those and four others had “interior damage including damage to the steering column/ignition switch.”
The news release did not say if the vehicles damaged at the dealership were Kias or other brands.
Recently, thieves across the nation have targeted cars from automotive makers Kia and Hyundai.