Police: Teen who stole a van and fled police strikes 3 pedestrians and a cop car

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A 16-year-old boy who stole a deliver van and fled from police struck and injured three pedestrians Saturday.

Channel 2's Michael Seiden spoke to Clayton County police, who said the teen stole a delivery truck from an Auto Zone in Jonesboro around 9:30 a.m. after the driver left the keys inside.

“One of the drivers, who is a delivery driver, left the delivery truck running with the keys in it. He forgot an item and had to run back inside," Clayton County Police Sgt. Ashanti Marbury said.

When he returned to the van, the driver found a the 16-year-old boy behind the wheel.

"The suspect pretended like he had a weapon so he backed off," Marbury said.

Investigators say the teen drove off in the stolen van, leading police on a chaotic chase through the streets of Clayton County.

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He struck a police car and drove the wrong way for a portion of the chase, police say.

He blew a red light at the intersection of Mt. Zion Rd. and Mt. Zion Blvd. and crashed into a truck.

"That actually caused his vehicle to spin out of control and he struck three pedestrians who were standing on the median," Marbury said.

The victims were identified as two 17-year-old girls and a 42-year-old woman. The group was in the median collecting money for a local high school. All three suffered serious injuries but are expected to survive.

Dozens of witnesses watched in horror as first responders treated the injured. A video of the scene went viral Saturday afternoon on Facebook.

Police say the suspect is expected to face multiple felony charges. Seiden also learned he had been reported missing the night before from a group home.

Cox Media Group