A Bellevue boy, 12, along with three middle school-aged friends, went on a joyride early Sunday morning in a woman's SUV. A short chase ensued, with speeds that exceeded 100 mph, police said.
Bellevue police Officer Tim Flohrschutz said he was looking for a drunken driver in an SUV, just before 6 a.m. He said he spotted an SUV on Harlan Lewis Road, driving erratically, similar to the one he was looking for.
"My first thought was it's an intoxicated driver," Flohrschutz said.
As he attempted to approach the SUV from behind, with no lights or sirens at first, he said the SUV started to accelerate. After the short chase, which ended just north of La Platte Road on U.S. Highway 75, Flohrschutz said he discovered the driver was not drunk at all.
Instead, he found the 12-year-old behind the wheel, along with three passengers, ages 12 and 13 — the boy's friends.
"I was in awe. I couldn't fathom it at first. When I saw the 12-year-old sitting in the car, it took me a second. I had to process what was going on, because it's not something we run into every day," Flohrschutz said.
Flohrschutz said he had the boy put the SUV in park and then had the boy hand over the keys.
On dashcam video, the boy can be seen getting out of the driver's seat and then is heard asking if he'd be going to juvenile hall.
Flohrschutz said the children quickly admitted why they fled from police.
"The driver just said that they were trying to get home," Flohrschutz said. "However, the other juveniles in the car did state that they assumed I was a police officer, and that's why the driver sped up to try to beat me to his house, so they could get home without getting caught."
Flohrschutz said the children's joyride started early Sunday morning.
The driver was cited with three misdemeanors, including driving without a license, operating a motor vehicle without authorization, and willful and reckless driving.
A girl, 12, was cited for driving without a license and operating a motor vehicle without authorization.
Officer Flohrschutz said the SUV belongs to the girl's mother. He also said neither the girl's mother nor the other children's parents knew what was going on until police called them.
