Police arrested a teenager Tuesday morning suspected of stealing a car during a ride-along with Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. in Baltimore City, according to county police spokesperson Joy Stewart.
Members of the Regional Auto Theft Task Force were investigating a 2016 Hyundai Sonata sedan whose owner reported it stolen from Baltimore County when the two people in the car fled the vehicle, Stewart said.
The two people then went into a residence near McCollough Circle and West Preston Street in West Baltimore’s Heritage Crossing neighborhood. Police arrested one person, a 16-year-old, at 11:05 a.m. and charged them with theft of auto, according to Baltimore County Detective Trae Corbin.
The Regional Auto Theft Task Force is made up of 19 officers from Maryland State Police and Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, and Baltimore County, and is the sole coordinator for auto theft investigations in the Baltimore area, according to Stewart.
Olszewski, a Democrat from Dundalk, was accompanying members of the task force at the time. Auto thefts have risen 189% in Baltimore County compared to this time last year, Stewart said.
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In April, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown joined 17 other states asking for a federal recall of theft-prone Hyundai and Kia vehicles. The same month, a judge rejected a proposed settlement in a class action lawsuit against the automakers that would cover nine million Hyundai and Kia vehicles in the U.S.
In May, Baltimore City filed a federal lawsuit against Hyundai and Kia for failing to equip their vehicles with industry-standard anti-theft technology.
In a statement to The Baltimore Sun, Olszewski said there has been a “surge” of car thefts in the Baltimore area.
“In addition to looking at data and anecdotal evidence, it’s important that leaders have a firsthand understanding of the issue and the incredible work being done every day,” he said.
“I left today’s ride along inspired by the experience and focused on continuing to support meaningful investments like GPS trackers and license plate readers that help empower this task force to effectively do their jobs.”
Baltimore Sun reporter Dan Belson contributed to this article.