NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — After two cars were stolen in Newport News and Norfolk -- one at gunpoint -- police officers have arrested a group of five teenage boys suspected of the crimes.
Sarah Ketchum, a spokeswoman for the Newport News Police Department, said they first learned about a carjacking that happened at the Walmart at 12401 Jefferson Avenue on Saturday afternoon.
Ketchum said a 51-year-old woman was sitting in her car a little before 1:30 p.m. when a teenager with a gun allegedly opened her door and told her to get out. Then, a second teen approached.
The woman got out of her car, and Ketchum said the boys drove off with it. She wasn't hurt.
Then, police learned about a car that had been stolen from Norfolk that may be connected to the car theft from the Newport News Walmart. Ketchum didn't say when that one was stolen, or what the circumstances around it were.
Officers in Norfolk spotted the second stolen car and started pursuing it, but the driver wouldn't pull over. The suspect drove the car into Portsmouth, where it broke down near City Park, Ketchum said.
Several teens allegedly got out of that car and tried to run. Portsmouth police officers detained two, and Newport News police officers arrested a third a few blocks away.
Apprehended were a 17-year-old boy from Norfolk, a 16-year-old boy from Newport News, and a 14-year-old boy from Suffolk.
A fourth person who was in the car that day escaped, Ketchum wrote.
Then, officers in Chesapeake spotted a car that matched the one stolen from Newport News. That car wouldn't pull over either, and a pursuit led officers into Virginia Beach.
When the car stopped, Ketchum said officers arrested two 14-year-old boys who were inside it, one from Suffolk and one from Virginia Beach.
All of the teens were turned over to Juvenile Intake. They all have the same two charges: carjacking and conspiracy to commit a felony.
“You don’t need to be out here stealing or hurting anybody. It really hurts. It hurts real bad," said Carmen Aviles-Rivera.
Aviles-Rivera said she works at the Walmart on Jefferson Avenue. She explained she is shocked to find out that teenagers committed the crime.
"It bothers me a lot and in broad daylight. I couldn’t understand that part. In broad daylight. My eyes get watery. I’m sorry," said Aviles-Rivera.
Ketchum said Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew chalked the arrests up to teamwork.
“Thanks to the hard work and determination by Newport News officers -- with the assistance of our law enforcement partners in Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach -- we were able to quickly make arrests in this case," he said. "Newport News and the other police departments in this region continue to work together to combat gun violence. The Hampton Roads law enforcement community is united in this effort."
“There’s so much opportunity; they don’t need to be stealing or hurting anybody else," said Aviles-Rivera.
Author's note: This article originally said the car was stolen from Walmart around 1:30 a.m. It was 1:30 p.m. The article has been corrected.