After using a Taser on a 16-year-old theft suspect and punching him in the face, police arrested the boy, who is suspected of breaking into three cars on Avenue A and Sumner Avenue early this morning.
Police charged the juvenile with theft from a motor vehicle, receiving stolen property, resisting arrest, criminal attempt and loitering or prowling at night time. He was taken to Forbes Regional Hospital for medical clearance before being transported to Shuman Juvenile Detention Center, police said.
According to the incident report, police stopped the boy when he was shutting the door of a Lexus SUV parked on Avenue A around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday. Carrying a laptop, he ran up the steps to a house and said he lived there, before tossing the laptop on the porch and running.
An officer pulled out his Taser and told him to stop. When he kept running, the officer shot the Taser’s probes, which struck him in the chest and leg, sending him into bushes. The boy struggled and tried to elbow the officer, who punched him in the face before cuffing him.
Police found in his backpack a GPS unit, an MP3 player, a cell phone and $40 in cash, in addition to the laptop and other items. Officers suspect the money and cell phone were stolen from a car in Wilkins Township.
The laptop was returned to an Avenue A resident who owned the SUV the boy was seen exiting.
