A 16-year-old male juvenile was charged with stealing a vehicle and causing a four-vehicle collision in Benton on Dec. 22.
Authorities responded to a vehicle collision at the intersection of West 5th and Ash streets. Witnesses said the driver of the vehicle who caused the collision had fled the scene on foot.
The driver, a 16-year-old male, was apprehended a few minutes later in a field behind the old Dollar General store.
Police said the juvenile had just escaped custody of the courts, then fled on foot to the area of 5th and Main Street. While at FiveStar he reportedly stole a vehicle and drove at a high rate of speed before running the red light at W. 5th and Ash Street and striking several vehicles.
The juvenile was charged with theft by unlawful taking of an auto valued at more than $10,000, leaving the scene of an accident with a serious physical injury involved and failure to render aid at the scene, criminal mischief, wanton endangerment, and fleeing or evading police both on foot and by motor vehicle.
