Montgomery County police have arrested a 16-year-old boy following a July high-speed chase involving a stolen truck and an alleged attempt to steal a county police K9 cruiser, according to authorities.
The teen was charged July 17 with multiple counts of auto theft-related charges, traffic charges and possession of a controlled dangerous substance by Gaithersburg police, county police said Friday in a statement. He was released to the custody of his “parent/guardian,” according to the statement.
Police did not identify the suspect or say where he lives.
According to county police, Gaithersburg officers observed a stolen Ford F150 pickup truck in the area of Travis Avenue in Gaithersburg around 5:25 a.m. July 17 and attempted a traffic stop. The driver of the truck did not stop and continued to drive “at an accelerated speed,” according to the statement.
A county K9 officer later saw the truck traveling at a high speed near the northbound lanes of Route 355 and Appledowre Way in Germantown–more than 2.5 miles away from Travis Avenue, police said. The officer turned on the cruiser’s emergency lights and began pursuing the truck.
Police did not say how long the pursuit lasted. However, the driver of the truck hit a curb in the area of Watkins Mill Road and Watkins Mill Place, disabling the vehicle, according to the statement.
After the truck was disabled, the driver–who was the sole occupant–fled and the K9 officer chased him on foot, police said.
During the foot chase, the suspect came back to the officer’s cruiser and attempted to steal it, police said. The officer was able to stop the suspect and took him into custody, transporting him to the county police department’s 6th District station in Gaithersburg.