Police: Teens Break Into Dealership, Wreck Corvette, Challenger, Mustang in $800K Demolition Derby
More than 20 cars were damaged by the quartet of 14- and 16-year-old boys, according to authorities.
A group of teenagers broke into a Houston-area car dealership after hours on Sunday night, police said, then proceeded to steal—and wreck—multiple vehicles including several sports cars and muscle cars, causing roughly $800,000 in damage.
According to reports from the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's office cited by The Houston Chronicle, the four suspects damaged more than 20 vehicles at the CarMax located in the 16000 block of the North Freeway region of Houston, just off Interstate 45.
Police said the suspects allegedly snuck into the dealership lot on foot, obtained the keys to several of the vehicles, then proceeded to drive around the lot, crashing into other cars in the process.
Authorities were quickly notified about the break-in by dealership security, which caught the intruders and their breaking-entering-and-hooning antics on camera and called it in, according to police. Four deputy constables responded to the scene around 10 p.m., KPRC 2 News reported; in fact, authorities said, when deputies arrived, the suspects were at the dealership gate attempting to leave with one of the vehicles. Two of the suspects were caught at the scene, according to KPRC 2 News, while the other two were captured at their homes near the CarMax.
The four teens—two 14-year-olds and two 16-year-olds, according to KPRC 2 News—have been charged with first-degree felony criminal mischief, according to the Chronicle. The teens have reportedly been released into their parents' custody.
Images of the automotive carnage posted to Facebook by Harris County constable Mark Herman show a green Dodge Challenger Scat Pack, a red Chevrolet Corvette Z06, a white Jaguar XE, a fifth-generation Ford Mustang, and a 987-generation Porsche Cayman or Boxster were among the car casualties.
"I've never in my 33-year career seen this much damage done with blatant disregard to vehicles and property," Constable Herman told KPRC 2 News.