BROOKLYN, Ohio (WJW) – Video released to the FOX 8 I-Team shows very young teens busted for a crime sweeping Northeast Ohio and the nation.
Thieves have been stealing cars using a simple trick spread on social media, targeting Kia and Hyundai vehicles.
Now, a bust caught on camera is part of a growing investigation.
Recently, Brooklyn police rounded up four teenagers suspected of stealing a car and even ramming a police car trying to get away.
Police say the teens stole a KIA using a technique shown on social media leading to a national crime wave.
A witness called 911, saying, “There’s somebody breaking into a car. He just started the vehicle and he’s getting away now.”
Brooklyn police already had an undercover operation going for the thieves breaking into cars.
As police closed in, dash camera video showed the stolen car colliding with a police cruiser. Just after that, officers arrested two juveniles and found two more hiding under cars.
Body camera video showed an officer holding those teens at gunpoint, saying, “Get out now!”
Another officer talking to a female suspect asked, “How old are you?”
She responded with, “I’m 13.”
The officer then said, “You’re 13? Then, what the (expletive) are you doing out here?”
Another officer asked another suspect, “Parents know you’re out?”
The teen answered, “Yes.”
Then, the officer responded with, “Ridiculous.”
We caught up with a young mother who had her car stolen. She said it was exactly the way thieves have learned on social media. Police later found her car, but she said she’s left with $4,200 worth of damage.
“It’s just crazy how people are doing this. It affects other people’s lives. You all are messing up people’s lives. Now, I’ve got to worry about getting my kids to school and day care,” she said.
In the Brooklyn case, police confirm the teens stole that car using a common cable almost everybody has for electronics. Police say, that night, those teens even dropped off someone else to steal another car.
Now, detectives are taking a closer look at those kids.
Investigators have started following up with fingerprints and DNA to see if they can tie the suspects in the Brooklyn case to more crimes.
In fact, since that night, juvenile court records show charges already filed for other cases from Cleveland and Lakewood.
Two of the young suspects also already have aggravated robbery cases on their records