6-year-old US boy takes family car out for a spin

Image
Press Trust of India New York
Last Updated : Apr 16 2013 | 12:55 PM IST
In a believe it or not incident, a 6-year-old boy in the US took his family's car out for a spin as he wanted to have Chinese food and made it about 5 kms before he was stopped by the police.
The unnamed youngster, who could hardly see over the dash, was stopped by the police on Saturday morning about five kilometres from his home in Lapeer, Michigan.
"I opened the door and asked him what he was doing," Lapeer County Sheriff's Deputy Karl Sapp said on Sunday. "He told me he was going to the dealer to get the car fixed."
The boy, who had hit a street sign near his house and cracked the car's bumper, initially blamed the damage on his father, Sapp was quoted by the Deteroit Free Press as saying.
The boy's parents were home sleeping about 7:30 am (local time) and didn't know the child was gone with the family's car, authorities said.
The boy initially was heading to a Chinese restaurant as he wanted more of the food he'd eaten the previous night but when he got to the restaurant he found it was shut. There weren't many other vehicles on the road during his joyride.
"He had never driven before," Sapp said. "Nobody taught him."
The boy told police that he had watched his dad drive. He had the seat all the way forward when he was stopped.
"I don't know how he was able to operate everything and see at the same time," Sapp said. "Apparently, he was close enough that he could reach the pedals."
Two other motorists called 911 to report erratic driving.
An officer woke the boy's father and brought him to the scene. The father drove the car back. It was unclear whether police would seek any charges.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Apr 16 2013 | 12:55 PM IST

Next Story