Teen arrested after pulling knife on child and stealing car, police say

WJZ

By Adam Thompson, Kelsey Kushner

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    BALTIMORE, Maryland (WJZ) — A 17-year-old was arrested for allegedly pulling a knife on an 8-year-old boy and then stealing a vehicle in Baltimore’s Federal Hill on Monday afternoon, according to police.

Police said a mother parked the car, kept it running, and left her son in the car as she walked into a bank. The suspect then got into the vehicle, assaulted the son, pulled a knife on him, and pushed him out of the vehicle before driving away.

Police used a tracking device to locate the vehicle three miles away in the 1500 block of Jefferson Street, where the 17-year-old was taken into custody.

Witness reacts to brazen carjacking

Al Soliman, who works at a shop across the street from the bank, told WJZ he saw the chaos unfold.

“The lady, she was stressed out, she looked very stressed,” Soliman said. “And like five minutes later, the police showed up. I think after a couple of hours, they said that they got him.”

Dozens of cars damaged in Federal Hill

Jen Covino, the Public Safety Chair of the Federal Hill Neighborhood Association, said at least 55 vehicles and three businesses were damaged by vandals in Federal Hill this past weekend.

The owner of Federal Hill Cleaners shared a video that showed three teens smashing through the glass front door early Sunday.

The recent vandalism has residents and business owners demanding action from city leaders.

“I feel like there’s something more to do, and I feel like if we can direct them to those things, there won’t be so much crime,” said Federal Hill resident Kayla Ellis.

New DJS guidelines for minors

The Maryland Department of Juvenile Services issued new guidelines for minors on electronic monitoring who are arrested for serious crimes.

Juvenile services staff are required to detain youth who are arrested while wearing an electronic monitor until their next court day at the request of law enforcement.

Betsy Fox Tolentino, the acting secretary of the DJS, said the decision came after a series of meetings with public officials, according to our partners at The Baltimore Banner. It also comes after recent incidents involving young people wearing ankle monitors.

Staff must attend court with the young person and report their behavior while wearing the monitor.

New DJS leader takes over

Tolentino has taken over as the DJS secretary after Vincent Schiraldi resigned.

She spoke with WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren about taking over a role that had been a lightning rod for critics.

“We don’t want people to feel unsafe,” Tolentino said. “We want people to feel that they are safe in their communities and confident that the department is doing what it can do to support our young people.”

One of the criticisms was that under Schiraldi, juvenile offenders did not fear consequences.

Asked whether she sees things that need immediate fixing within DJS, Tolentino said, “What I bring to the agency is this renewed focus on our day-to-day operations—ensuring that at the front door of our system when law enforcement brings a young person to our attention, that our decision making is aligned with Maryland law and designed to get young people what they need—and also that we are in the position to support public safety.”

Accountability in juvenile crime fight

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said he wants accountability in the effort against juvenile crime.

“I think accountability means being able to use all assets at your disposal,” Moore said. “So, if you’re saying that accountability simply means a lecture, I think you’re wrong. And I think if you’re saying accountability means locking everyone up for everything, I also think you are wrong.”

Moore said, “True public safety means that you have to have the right combination of accountability for those who break the law, and you need to make sure that you focus on rehabilitation.”

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