Teenage LA police cadets arrested for theft of patrol cars, radios and stun guns

Associated Press in Los Angeles
Friday 16 June 2017 11.51 BST

Three teenagers on a Los Angeles police cadet programme stole patrol cars and led authorities on wild pursuits that ended with crashes, the city’s police chief has said.

The trio – two boys and a girl aged 15, 16 and 17 – “gamed the system” and used a vacationing sergeant’s name to sign out stun guns and radios and drive the cars away, Charlie Beck said. Police are investigating whether the teenagers impersonated officers and pulled over drivers.

The three were arrested on Wednesday after two pursuits ended in crashes. A third police car was later recovered around the corner from a police station.

Beck said he had ordered a review of the Los Angeles police department’s cadet program and policies for managing inventory.

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