Ohio boy, 10, leads police and mum on 90mph highway chase after stealing family car

A ten-year-old Ohio boy led police and his mum on a 90mph high-speed chase after stealing the family car – for the second time this month.

The unnamed youngster took the family's silver Infiniti from his mother's Cleveland home yesterday morning (26 October) and led highway troopers on a race, which ended with him being caught 50 miles away, in neighbouring Erie County.

Officers received several calls from motorists who reported the odd sight of a child sweeping down the highway, followed by eight police cars, and trailed by his irate mother in a Dodge Charger.

"In any pursuit you have to weigh the risk versus reward when chasing a vehicle, and knowing that it was a 10-year-old child involved as a driver there's a big unknown there," state trooper Richard Reeder told local broadcaster Cleveland 19.

He added: "One of the troopers made visual contact eye-to-eye contact with the child and motioned for him to pull over, and the child physically shook his head no and continued driving."

One recorded highway caller that phoned the police said: "Hi. I'm pretty sure there's a car chase going on between a mom and her son right now on the highway. The kid's probably going at least 90. He looks maybe 13."

Another said: "Yeah, it seems to be ... well it looks to be a child driving a silver Infiniti with I don't know if it's like her mother or somebody chasing them down in a red SUV."

Officers set spikes across three lanes of the motorway, but the joyriding youngster swerved into the ditch running beside the road to continue the chase.

But driving on the grass slowed the boy racer down, allowing troopers to hit the back of the youngster's car and surround it, forcing the vehicle to a stop.

But Reeder said: "When we were able to get him out of the car he was very agitated. He kicked one of the troopers in the shin, he then spit in the face of the same trooper."

He added: "I have a 10-year-old myself and to look at how well this person drove is just amazing and everyone's so lucky that there was nothing tragic that happened."

The boy was taken to be checked up at a local hospital as a precaution before spending the night at juvenile detention centre awaiting charges.

The youngster's last brush with highway patrol came on 16 October when he stole his mother's Dodge, but this time he was found a few minutes later weighed down by three flat tyres. On that occasion officers towed him home and released him to his mother's care.