Two teens arrested after stolen G-Wagon lands on SUV carrying mother and children in Hollywood, Florida

A Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV on display at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, not the vehicle involved in the case — Alexander Migl / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Summary

Two boys, ages 14 and 16, were arrested after a stolen Mercedes G-Wagon crashed onto an SUV in Hollywood, Florida, on Oct. 14.
Police say the group first tried to get into locked cars in Miami Beach around 1 p.m., then stole the G-Wagon from a Kendall home hours later.
A mother and her two children in the SUV were not injured, NBC 6 reported.
A third suspect is believed to still be at large, according to WSVN.

From Miami Beach to Kendall

The chain of events began around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14, when three masked people tried to open locked vehicles in a driveway near the 3400 block of Chase Avenue in Miami Beach, according to Miami Beach police as reported by NBC 6 and WSVN. The vehicles were locked, and the group left in a red or maroon Tesla.^{[1] [2]}

A few hours later, detectives say, the group stole a bronze 2027 Mercedes G-Wagon from a home near Southwest 136th Street and 102nd Avenue in Kendall while the residents were home. NBC 6 put the vehicle's value at $260,000. WSVN reported that the suspects entered an open garage and two unlocked cars, found the G-Wagon's key fob and took a wallet and purse from a pickup truck.^{[1] [2]}

Crash in Hollywood

The owner was able to track the SUV through Mercedes as it headed north on Florida's Turnpike into Broward County, NBC 6 reported, and WSVN said the Broward Sheriff's Office aviation unit followed it. With police behind it in Hollywood, the G-Wagon tried to squeeze between cars stopped at a red light and ended up on top of a blue SUV.^{[1] [2] [3]}

A mother and her two children were inside the SUV and were not injured, according to NBC 6. The driver told the station it "all happened in a matter of seconds" as she was turning onto North Park Road. Video of the crash was first shared by the social media account Only In Dade.^{[3] [1]}

Arrests and charges

The occupants ran from the G-Wagon. WSVN reported that Hallandale Beach police detained two of the three near Sheridan Street and North Park Road and turned them over to Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office auto theft detectives. The Broward Sheriff's Office confirmed to NBC 6 that it assisted with an incident that began in Miami-Dade.^{[2] [3]}

The two arrested are boys aged 14 and 16, from Fort Lauderdale and Sunrise, according to arrest reports cited by NBC 6, which said they face multiple charges including grand theft and burglary. WSVN reported the charges include burglary of an occupied dwelling and attempted burglary of an unoccupied vehicle. The Signal Edition is not naming the juveniles.^{[1] [2]}

What police are saying

"Our detectives are taking this incident seriously and actively working to hold those responsible accountable," Miami Beach police spokesperson Christopher Bess said in a statement to WSVN. The department said the case shows the value of locking vehicle doors: "In this case, that precaution prevented the burglary."^[2]

Police have not said when the third suspect might be identified, and court dates for the two teens have not been reported.^{[2] [1]}

Reporting sources

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