String of vehicle thefts lead to 14-year-old suspect

ROYAL OAK — A 14-year-old suspect was taken into custody March 4 following a string of auto thefts in the Royal Oak area.

The juvenile recently had moved to Royal Oak, according to Lt. Rich Millard, of the Royal Oak Police Department.

Royal Oak police received stolen-vehicle reports concerning a Kia Sportage Jan. 30 and a Hyundai Tucson Feb. 27, according to Millard.

The vehicles were later recovered within a mile of where they had been stolen, according to a press release sent out by the Royal Oak Police Department. While investigating one of the reports, officers reportedly located security footage showing the suspect wearing a mask.

On March 4, officers were notified of a stolen Hyundai Sonata that had been taken near Devon Road and 13 Mile Road.

After receiving the report of the stolen vehicle, police were able to locate the Hyundai Sonata unoccupied and parked in the back of an apartment complex parking lot on Devon Road, according to the press release.

A few hours later, police were able to apprehend the suspect at around 3:15 p.m. when the juvenile returned to the stolen Sonata.

After further investigation, police suspect the juvenile of being responsible for a fourth reported auto theft, a Kia Sportage on March 3.

“This is a perfect example of amazing investigative teamwork, which solved four crimes and stopped an out-of-control teen from victimizing more of our residents,” Chief Michael Moore said in a prepared statement.

It is suspected that the 14-year-old is the culprit in the March 3 theft because the SUV was recovered near where the first two were recovered, police said.

“All four cars were unlocked,” Millard said. “The suspect then damaged the steering column to gain access to the ignition system and was able to start each car.”

According to Millard, two of the vehicles were stolen from apartment complex parking lots, one from a driveway and one from the street.

“I suspected that the juvenile just wanted a car to drive around in,” Millard said. “The suspect told us he learned to steal cars by watching TikTok and YouTube videos.”

Moving forward, Millard urges residents of Royal Oak to lock their vehicles whenever they are left unattended.

“We have had many car thefts where the owner left the car unlocked with the key fob in the car,” he said. “Although none of these cases involved a key or fob being left in the car, it is still the best advice to lock your car and never leave the key fob in it.”

The 14-year-old is currently being held at Oakland County Children’s Village. He has been charged with one count of receiving and concealing a stolen motor vehicle, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison; and three counts of unlawful driving away of a motor vehicle, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, according to the press release.