‘BROKEN SYSTEM’: Maryland teen released after allegedly breaking into 121 cars in one night

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A teen boy in Maryland arrested for allegedly breaking into 121 cars in a single night was ordered to be released — then more than a dozen more vehicles were looted the next day.

The 16-year-old was detained on Wednesday in connection with a spate of vehicle break-ins that were reported on May 4, WRC reported.

The suspect and two other teens allegedly smashed car windows and stole items from 54 cars in Laurel, Maryland, and 67 more in three neighbouring counties — all in a single night.

Surveillance footage from across the area captured the trio driving around in a stolen car and smashing open the windows of random vehicles they came across.

“They were just simply going through neighbourhoods and targets of opportunity, breaking into cars,” Laurel Police Chief Russ Hamill told the outlet.

“If there was something in there, they’d steal,” he said. “If there was nothing in there, they’d move to another car.”

Investigators obtained a search warrant to the suspect’s home and found keys to the stolen car and to 25 other vehicle, along with other stolen items that “managed to link him to all 121 events throughout the region,” Hamill said in a news conference on Wednesday.

“I would like to tell you that’s the end of the story there. But that’s not the end of the story,” Hamill continued.

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Laurel Police and the Maryland State Attorney’s office requested that the teen remain in the juvenile detention centre due to the sheer volume of alleged crimes but he was released due to his clean record, and the crime he is accused of aren’t violent, Hamill detailed.

“Yes, five hours after we were at his house, he was released back into the community, back into the environment that allowed him to be out roaming the streets in all of these counties, late at night and in the early morning, doing these crimes to begin with,” he added.

The night of his release, another flurry of vehicles were broken into — but Hamill did not specify if the teen suspect and his gang were involved.

“We’re not gonna lay every theft from auto in the region on him and his group, but I will note we had 17 the next night,” he noted.

The teen’s alleged accomplices have been identified and Hamill said he expects them to be arrested soon.

The trio faces charges of multiple thefts from automobiles, and motor vehicle theft, the outlet reported.

However, Hamill admitted he has “little hope” that they will be held accountable “due to this broken system.”

“We don’t do this lightly. We don’t ask for young people to be held on a whim. We do so to help protect the community and them.”