A Baltimore carjacking was caught on camera. 5 teens were later arrested.
A video shows a woman being carjacked in Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood, an incident that ended with the arrests of five teenagers.
Officers arrested two 14-year-old males, a 15-year-old male, a 13-year-old female, and a 17-year-old male. Three of the teens were on ankle monitors, and the 17-year-old was charged as an adult for multiple counts of assault and carjacking.
Video captures Baltimore carjacking
The video shows a 41-year-old woman having her car keys snatched shortly after 11 a.m. on July 1 in the 900 block of West 36th Street. She chased after the thief, who got away.
"It was very shocking because this is usually a safe neighborhood," said Sykia, a Hampden resident.
Moments later, the video shows the suspect driving off in the woman's red sedan, which was parked in the neighboring lot.
Baltimore Police said they located the car in Towson with five teens inside. The woman suffered minor injuries.
"I think it's just normal city living, I don't think it's that unusual," said Hampden resident Lillian Chow.
Baltimore community reacts to teen carjacking
While reactions to the crime are mixed, what's perhaps most shocking is that officers found a group of teens with the stolen car. And three of them were out on ankle monitors from other arrests.
"I feel like a lot of our children don't have guidance, unfortunately," Sykia said. "There are a lot of factors that go into it. I think that it is often times blamed on one system or person, but I think it's a collective of issues."
"I think there needs to be more funding in the public school system because that's what we really need to help the youth," said Chow.
Residents told WJZ it is discouraging that children were involved in the carjacking, and juvenile crime needs to be addressed in Maryland.
"Possibly more mentorships, more help for families, more resources, things of that nature," Sykia said.
Other residents don't want crimes like this to deter people from enjoying Baltimore.
"Every city in every state has issues, and I think Baltimore, sometimes, they highlight them too much, and I think the city is too beautiful not to enjoy it," said Chow.
Repeat offenders and crime in Baltimore
Last week, a 14-year-old repeat offender was arrested for a violent crime spree in Northwest Baltimore.
On June 22, around 6:47 a.m., police said the teen was linked to a carjacking in the 5300 block of Perring Parkway.
In May, the same teen was placed on GPS monitoring for stealing a car, crashing it, and injuring several people.
After that incident, the teen allegedly robbed a grocery delivery driver at gunpoint in the 1200 block of Woodbourne Avenue near The Alameda.
Rise in teen arrests
Charges for teen offenders have risen, according to Baltimore State's Attorney Ivan Bates.
In May, police arrested a 15-year-old repeat offender on GPS monitoring for kidnapping and robbing a 12-year-old victim on his way to school in East Baltimore.
In 2024, 1,126 teens were arrested and charged with various offenses in Baltimore, according to Bates. The number was up from 637 arrests in 2023, and 303 in 2022.
Working to curb youth crime
In June, Bates introduced a crime plan that he says focused on accountability, fairness and collaboration with city departments.
The plan includes a new prosecution diversion program, which allows an individual facing certain charges to participate in a supervised program instead of facing prosecution.
To fully enact the plan, Bates will need a partnership with the Department of Juvenile Services.
