2 teens charged in connection to burglary, vehicle theft in Mendota Heights
Two teenagers from Ramsey County have been charged with multiple felonies in connection to the theft of a vehicle and burglary on Monday.
The charges stem from a report of a residential burglary in Mendota Heights that led to five teenagers, ages 14-17, being detained by police, the Mendota Heights Police Department said. However, only two of the five teenagers were arrested and charged; the others were released to their parents, the Dakota County Attorney's Office said Wednesday.
A 16-year-old was charged via juvenile petition with fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, theft of a motor vehicle, theft (motor vehicle use without consent), receiving stolen property over $5,000, and theft over $1,000. The attorney's office did not detail the exact charges against the 14-year-old, nor did it reveal the teenagers' identities due to their ages.
They made their initial court appearance on Wednesday.
Authorities said officers responded to the burglary and possible theft of a Tesla Model X report on the 1800 block of South Lane at 3 p.m. on March 21.
It had been reported the suspects were in a blue Hyundai at the time the Tesla was stolen, according to the Dakota County Attorney's Office, citing the juvenile petitions. As police responded to the scene, an officer passed a vehicle matching the Hyundai's description that was going at a high rate of speed, so the officer activated his lights and pursued the vehicle.
The petition notes the driver of the Hyundai was going up to 85 miles per hour and at one point, drove off the roadway to go around a parked vehicle before continuing northbound on Interstate 35E toward Highway 62.
The people in the car, later determined to be the five juveniles, were seen throwing one large object and several smaller objects out the windows of the vehicle, police and the petition state.
Authorities said one of the thrown items was a purse that had been inside the Tesla at the time it was stolen. The keys to the Tesla were inside the purse at the time of the theft. The Tesla was later found abandoned, charges said.
As the driver attempted to exit onto Highway 13, the Hyundai began smoking. The driver slowed down and drove through a gas station parking lot to avoid being boxed in by police squad vehicles, the petition says
Five teenagers got out of the Hyundai and fled on foot. They were eventually tracked down by police, authorities said.
When they fled, the driver of the Hyundai didn't put the vehicle in park, so it rolled into a Jeep Cherokee, charges allege. The Hyundai had previously been reported stolen in St. Paul.
The two teenagers who were charged are scheduled to appear in court again on March 28.
