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Baby You Cannot Drive a Car: 11-Year-Old Boy Traverses SoCal Freeways in Toyota
Photo by aalorber via the LAist Featured Photos pool
Remember when you couldn't wait to get your driver's license? When you dreamed of freedom and adventure, before you knew the horrors of road rage, traffic and gas prices?Well, one little boy from the Inland Empire made those dreams a reality when he hopped into the driver's seat of a Toyota and drove it across three Southern California highways. The joyride was allegedly at the behest of the boy's mother's boyfriend, who, according toKABC, reportedly sold the vehicle then didn't get paid for it.
Attempting to do a citizen's repossess, Terry Varner, 51, enlisted the help of the 11-year-old boy. Together they allegedly drove down to San Bernadino, picked up the car and were headed home, with the boy following Veronon on the highway. KABC reports:
investigators say a boy drove northbound on the 215 Freeway to the base of the Cajon Pass, then got on the 15 Freeway and traveled up to the top of the pass into the high desert. Then he got on the 395 and drove into Adelanto, where he was pulled over by a sheriff's deputy.
The boy is unharmed, and his mother allegedly knew nothing about the trip. They are both cooperating fully. Varner is being held on suspicion of child endangerment.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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