13-year-old charged with stealing car, leading police on high-speed chase

A 13-year-old stole a car from a dealership in Elmhurst early Monday morning and led police on a high-speed chase before being arrested and charged, authorities said Tuesday.

The boy, who lives in Chicago, was charged Tuesday with possession of a stolen car, possession of burglary tools, criminal damage to property and fleeing a police officer, according to a release by the DuPage state's attorney's office. The case will be dealt with in the juvenile courts, so the 13-year-old will not be identified, officials said.

An Elmhurst police officer first encountered the teen, who was driving a Kia sedan at 1:38 a.m. Monday. Police said the car belonged to the Wilkins Hyundai dealership.

Wen the officer pulled up behind the Kia, the teen drove away, police said. During the brief chase the teen drove at around 70 mph and veered into oncoming traffic at times, they said.

Officers stopped chasing the teen because it had become unsafe to continue.

At 3:12 a.m. police officers found the Kia again and arrested the teen. He is due before a judge next month.