Three juveniles face 91 charges for serious crimes. What CMPD says they did
By the end of 2023, just three juveniles faced 91 combined charges related to auto theft in the city, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said.
In a graphic posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, CMPD laid out the crimes committed by two 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old last year. The three juveniles’ crimes were not related to each other.
One 15-year-old was charged with 13 crimes, including five auto thefts. The juvenile had five firearms seized from a vehicle and led officers on a high-speed chase.
The other 15-year-old faced 48 charges, which included 17 auto thefts, and had two firearms seized from their person. That teen also crashed a stolen car while fleeing from officers.
The 16-year-old faced 30 charges, including 6 auto thefts, and drove a stolen vehicle to an apartment complex, where the teen robbed and assaulted a female victim.
Increase in juvenile car thefts
This is not the first time CMPD has raised the alarm about increased youth violence and crimes, including those involving auto thefts and shootings. Officers arrested 3,016 youths in 2023, which marked a 34% increase from 2022.
Teens accounted for 68% of all stolen cars in the area, largely fueled by a Hyundai-Kia social media challenge — a TikTok trend that involves stealing cars by starting them with USB cables, police said previously.
Teens also fueled a 120% increase in car thefts, which contributed to a 17% spike in property crimes. The city also saw more than 8,000 cars stolen — about 22 cars each day — by Charlotte teenagers.
Increase in youth violent crimes in Charlotte
More juveniles were both victims and suspects of shootings. In 2023, there was an 18% increase from the year before in shootings involving juveniles. Police also named 108 juveniles as suspects in shootings — a 33% increase.
The issue came to a head on New Year’s Eve, when several people were allegedly shot by a 19-year-old at uptown’s Romare Bearden Park. None sustained life-threatening injuries.
The shooting led to City Councilman Tariq Bokhari announcing on social media the next day his plans to request the formation of a task force focused on crime. In particular, he wanted to dive into crime statistics, look into repeat offenders, and focus on splitting up youth offenders from adults.
In the wake of Bokhari’s push, multiple members of the City Council told The Charlotte Observer that there’s a consensus that more needs to be done to improve public safety. But the specifics of what could or would be done remain unclear.
Tackling the issue of youth violence
On Tuesday, the City Council moved forward with tackling the issue of youth violence. Victoria Watlington, chair of the council’s Housing, Safety and Community Committee said the committee was interested in putting together an ad hoc working group of stakeholders that would focus on three key issues:
Uptown quality of life
How quality of life issues affect Charlotte’s economy
Overall crime, with a focus on juvenile crime.
Watlington said her committee will keep the council updated on how things progress moving forward.
“When we think about next steps, certainly we’re not going to solve all the problems,” she said. “... What we really need to consider is what we can do.”
