This is the moment four Minnesota teenagers crashed a stolen Kia into an interstate median before hurriedly racing through traffic to evade arrest.
The event might be part of a worrying TikTok trend that has advertised and instructed on how to hotwire Kia and Hyundai automobiles with only a USB cord.
Law enforcement organisations around the country have expressed worry over the practise, which originated on TikTok in 2021 thanks to the ‘Kia Boyz,’ a Milwaukee-based group.
Kias newer than 2011 and Hyundais newer than 2015 are the most commonly stolen vehicles. The vehicles often lack immobilisers and may be entered through backdoors without triggering alarms.
The most recent occurrence occurred on Saturday afternoon near Interstate 35E Northbound in St. Paul, Minnesota.
According to Fox 9, the motorist was attempting to avoid a police tyre deflation device when he collided with a wall.
The footage shows the smouldering automobile and four teenagers, a 14-year-old boy and three girls aged 15 to 17, rushing across the busy highway. State troopers finally apprehended all four.
As the gang approaches the off ramp, one female is seen fleeing inside a black SUV. Two of the girls were injured and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
According to St. Paul Officers Public Information Officer Mike Ernster, about 5:30 p.m. on August 6, police got a call from a Minneapolis rental firm reporting a stolen 2021 Kia Forte. The automobile was in St. Paul, according to the GPS.
A state police helicopter was dispatched and swiftly identified the automobile in a city residential neighbourhood. Police cruisers arrived and concentrated on the Kia.
Ernster stated that at that time, the juvenile motorist drove away through the neighbourhood and onto the highway. The state police helicopter was still on the trail.
The accident in the video occurred around 15 minutes after the automobile was discovered.
This type of theft is suspected to have begun in Wisconsin in 2021. As how-to videos circulate on social media, they frequently depict teenagers stealing automobiles and wrecking or abandoning them before being apprehended.
In June, Fox 9 observed an increase in Kia and Hyundai thefts in the Twin Cities.
At the time, a woman who had recently purchased a Kia Sol only to have it taken and written off right outside her Minneapolis house told the station that if she had realised how simple it was to steal the automobiles, she would have purchased something else.
A ‘Kia Boyz’-style theft has been connected to the murder of a 70-year-old woman named Phoua Hang, who was killed after her car was smashed into by a stolen Kia, according to TwinCities.com.
At the time of writing, no arrests have been made in connection with Hang’s death.
The problem is most severe in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where ‘Kia Boyz’-related thefts account for two-thirds of all stolen vehicles. Authorities in Milwaukee have recommended Kia and Hyundai owners to purchase steering wheel locks or invest in more modern security systems.
WISN reported in May that one of the ‘Kia Boyz,’ 19-year-old Antonio Carter, was accused of pointing a ‘long gun’ at a police officer when he was attempting to arrest him.
Carter was also accused of driving the stolen red Kia at 90 mph in the city’s “wrong lanes of travel.”
Carter was out on bond in two criminal charges at the time of his arrest.
Thefts became so common by the end of 2021 that the Milwaukee City Council and the Milwaukee City Attorney openly discussed pursuing a lawsuit against Hyundai and Kia for how easy it appeared to be to steal their vehicles.
According to KTVZ, a local alderman stated at a council meeting that 50 percent of the thieves are under the age of 16 and that the offences are rarely prosecuted.
According to Auto News, there will be a 254 percent spike in Kia thefts and a 222 percent increase in Hyundai thefts in St. Louis in 2022.
Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom told Michigan Live in July: ‘Most of the offenders are juveniles, so you throw the curveball in there of, ‘Yes, we can arrest them,’ but what sort of accountability are the kids facing and what sort of services are available to make sure that this isn’t a catch-and-release and they’re back out in the morning and doing it again.’
According to the Auto News story, there has been a considerable surge in Korean automobiles in other locations such as Cincinnati, Memphis, and Grand Rapids.
According to the Columbus Dispatch in Ohio, Hyundai and Kia thefts account for four of every ten automobiles stolen in 2022. According to the Dispatch, Hyundai and Kia vehicles accounted for only 10% of auto thefts in 2021.
According to ABC 6, two 14-year-olds were murdered in the city on July 25 after their stolen Hyundai crashed.
Kia stated in a news statement that beginning in 2022, all new automobiles would be fitted with an immobiliser to prevent theft.
Kia said in a statement about the thefts, ‘Kia America is aware of the rise in vehicle thefts of a subset of trim levels. All 2022 models and trims have an immobiliser applied either at the beginning of the year or as a running change.
‘All Kia vehicles for sale in the U.S. meet or exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Kia customers with questions regarding their Kia vehicle should contact the Consumer Assistance centre directly at 1-800-333-4542.’
While Hyundai said: ‘”Hyundai Motor America is concerned with the rise in local auto thefts. The safety and well-being of our customers and the community is and will remain our top priority.
‘These vehicles meet or exceed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and engine immobilisers are standard equipment on all new Hyundai vehicles. Hyundai customers who have questions can always contact the Hyundai Consumer Assistance Center at 800-633-5151.’