A 14-year-old boy is in the hospital with life-threatening injuries after crashing an alleged stolen Kia car into a tree Sunday night in north Minneapolis, according to police.
Minneapolis police responded with fire and EMS personnel around 10:40 p.m. Sunday after a report of a single-vehicle crash near N. 39th and Upton avenues. The officers found a 14-year-old boy with severe injuries, according to a news release Monday evening.
The boy was the only occupant, and the Kia Optima had been reported stolen, police said. The boy was taken to North Memorial Health Hospital, where he remained Monday, according to Sgt. Garrett Parten.
"This is an absolute tragedy as a young life hangs in the balance," Minneapolis Chief Brian O'Hara said in the release.
Speed was a contributing factor in the crash, police said.
MPD used the news release to highlight significant increases in Kia and overall car thefts in the city in 2022 and to say there are problems with how easy it is to steal Kia cars.
Kia and Hyundai thefts in Minneapolis number 2,166 so far in 2022, compared with 218 at the same point in 2021, according to police. There also have been 131 Kia and Hyundai vehicles stolen more than once in 2022, including five that have been stolen three times.
"The ease by which certain Kia and Hyundai vehicles can be stolen creates too great an opportunity for this crime," O'Hara said. "Not only does this endanger youth, but it also endangers everyone near them when they are behind the wheel."
