Rochester Police Arrest Teenage Vehicle Thief

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Rochester Police have arrested a teenage suspect in the theft of a vehicle and the following police chase and crash earlier this week.

Police Captain Casey Moilanen says the 17-year-old admitted to the crime and another recent vehicle theft. In both cases, the stolen vehicles were left unlocked and the keys or ignition fobs in them.

The most recent involved the theft of a 2019 Chevy Equinox Monday afternoon after it was parked in downtown Rochester by a 25-year-old woman. The stolen vehicle was spotted by a police officer several hours later and the driver led the officer on a brief chase before he crashed into another vehicle on Elton Hills Drive Northwest and then fled on foot.

The other vehicle theft involved a 2019 Ford Raptor that was stolen on August 11th.

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