4 Teens Try to Flee After Crashing Stolen Kia on Minnesota Highway
Footage shows a group of teenagers taking off after crashing a stolen Kia on a highway in Minnesota.
Here is everything you need to know.
What happened during the crash?
Traffic camera footage shows the stolen vehicle crashing into a median during its attempt to evade a police spike strip.
The video further shows four youths jumping out of the smoking car and running to the opposite side of the road, where they were stopped by state police.
A 14-year-old boy and three girls between the ages of 15 and 17 were reportedly detained.
According to a police spokesperson, the incident took place at 5:30 p.m. when a Minneapolis car rental company contacted St. Paul Police to report that a 2021 Kia Forte had been stolen.
The company also mentioned that the vehicle was headed toward St. Paul based on the car’s GPS tracker.
I feel like there was a story in the local news this summer about how Kia and Hyundai models are targeted because they don’t automatically come with anti-theft systems.
— 🌻Expendable Educator, MA, M.Ed., Ed.S., NBCT (@sniederberger) August 1, 2022
Additionally, Fox 9 reported that ‘St. Paul police requested the assistance of a State Patrol helicopter. The pilot used GPS tracker coordinates to locate the car when it stopped at Portland and Dale streets in St. Paul.
Additionally, when the officers approached them, the teenage driver sped away from a residential area onto a highway.
How are the ‘Kia Boys’ related to the incident?
The aforementioned incident was likely inspired by a viral Tiktok video of the so-called ‘Kia Boys’.
The video captures a group of teenagers crashing a stolen Kia, taking off running on the Minnesota turnpike. All four were arrested: a 14-year-old boy and three girls ages 15 to 17. https://t.co/dhF6EOvE35
— atasteofcreole (@atasteofcreole) August 7, 2022
The Milwaukee-based group demonstrates an easy way to connect vehicles with just the help of USB cables.
Law enforcement officials across the country have raised concerns about TikTok’s viral trend that reportedly began in 2021.
So I fell victim to this lil tik tok trend… If you own a Kia or a Hyundai keep an eye out for these #kiaboys pic.twitter.com/84e1MVvrGO
— 🌻🤎KhadejiaNicole777🖤🌻 (@Shawdii_Black) August 4, 2022
Kia and Hyundai officials address the situation
The manufacturers of Kia and Hyundai have released an official statement regarding recent car thefts.
Kia stated: ‘Kia America is aware of an increase in vehicle thefts from a subset of trim levels. All 2022 models and trims have an immobilizer applied either earlier in the year or as a running change. All vehicles for sale in the US meet or exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.’
Meanwhile, Hyundai’s statement read: ‘Hyundai Motor America is concerned about the increase in local car thefts. The safety and well-being of our customers and the community is and will continue to be our top priority. These vehicles meet or exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and engine immobilizers are standard equipment on all new Hyundai vehicles.”
