Global Courant 2023-05-26 11:46:46
A 13-year-old driver and 16-year-old passenger led Georgia deputies on a high-speed chase after they allegedly used a viral technique and stole a Hyundai Elantra car using a USB cable, police say.
Police in the Atlanta metro area are alerting Hyundai and Kia owners after car thefts ramped up, with police reporting three thefts over the weekend.
Police have linked the surge in car thefts to viral videos on social media, teaching people how to start the cars with USB cables and exploiting a security flaw in some Hyundai and Kia vehicles sold in the US without immobilizers, a standard feature on most cars. cars since the 90s where the engine would not start unless the key was present.
Deputies from the Coweta County Sheriffs Office conducted a maneuver to stop the stolen Hyundai Elantra. (Coweta County Sheriff’s Office)
On Sunday, May 21, the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call for an unrelated report that someone attempted to break into cars when they attempted to pull over a white Hyundai Elantra.
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Police later learned that the car was stolen by unusual suspects, a 13-year-old and a 16-year-old.
Authorities said the unnamed 13-year-old driver refused to stop and led deputies on a high-speed chase, reaching 120 miles per hour. The inexperienced teenager almost drove head-on into the patrol car, police said.
Body camera footage shows the eventual arrest of the 13-year-old and 16-year-old who attempted to evade arrest after stealing a white Hyundai Elantra. (Coweta County Sheriff’s Office)
Dash camera footage showed deputies eventually using a maneuver to stop the stolen car in its path. The alleged thieves tried to evade arrest, but CCTV footage shows deputies quickly chasing and arresting the teens.
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Both were handed over to juvenile authorities and are charged with auto theft, felony fleeing and attempted evasion, as well as entering cars.
A general view of a white Hyundai Elantra. The two teens stole a white Hyundai Elantra using a USB cable. (Moscow police)
Hyundai said the stolen vehicle problems in the Atlanta area have gotten so bad that they are sending letters to some owners alerting them to the thefts.
Global Courant
The company reported that the free repairs only applied to certain models of Hyundai vehicles. The letter stated that the company would repair the car’s alarm and ignition logic and apply window decals to warn thieves that the cars were safer.
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a writer on Fox News Digital’s breaking news team. You can reach her on Twitter at @s_rumpfwhiteten.
