Atlanta

15-year-old accused in carjacking has been arrested 16 times

ATLANTA — A 15-year old boy accused of carjacking a woman in Buckhead then leading police on a chase has been arrested more than a dozen times.

Police say the teen has a long criminal history of car break-ins, theft and other crimes.

“He is a repeat offender. This is not the first encounter we've had with him,” said Warren Pickard with the Atlanta Police Department.

APD has arrested the teen 16 times but say the courts keep letting him out.

Police sources told Channel 2's Tom Jones that officers in other counties have arrested him as well.

His latest arrest came Tuesday on Pamela Lane in southwest Atlanta. Police say he forced a woman out of her black Dodge Charger on Northside Drive in Buckhead around 8:30 a.m. and took off in the car.

Police located the car using GPS and quickly caught up to him in southwest Atlanta.

They say the teen jumped out of the car and ran home, about a block away.

Because of their past encounters with him and witness descriptions, officers say they knew he would be arriving home and arrested him there. %

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Jones was there as the teen was put into the back of a police car.

He told Jones he is innocent.

“They're saying I did it but I was in the house asleep,” the teen said.

Police say it is critical that the criminal justice system do a better job of detaining young offenders who insist on repeatedly breaking the law.

“We just can't continuously have juveniles repeat crime after crime after crime and just walk the streets. We cannot let that happen,” Pickard said.

Police say teens like him have learned the system and know they will be released so they keep committing crimes.

“It's critical that the criminal justice system played their role in this. If he needs to be detained, he needs to be detained,” Pickard said,

Police also say parents need to do a better job of keeping their kids out of trouble. They say that the parents of troubled children can take them to court and get them deemed unruly children, and the courts can offer ankle bracelet monitoring and mentoring.

Officers also arrested Ashley Simmons, 27, who they believe is his accomplice. Simmons also told Jones that she is innocent. She said she was surprised to see so many officers outside her home.

“(They yelled), ‘Get on the ground.’ They put me in handcuffs. I’m like, ‘I’m going to jail.’ I just got out of jail,” she told Jones.

Pickard says police believe Simmons and the teen worked in tandem.

Tuesday’s carjacking victim suffered minor injuries.