RICHMOND, Va. -- A rash of recent youth crime in Henrico has caught the attention of the community - and the Henrico Police Department.
Many of these crimes have involved youth behind the wheel of a car - the outcomes are always costly or deadly.
A teenager, being chased by police, in a situation that would have resulted in a parking ticket, turns into a hit-and-run. A stolen car rammed into a vape shop. A carjacking turned police chase, ends up with an innocent 17-year-old hit while biking home.
A Henrico father says his 1-year-old daughter was inside an SUV a week ago when the car was sideswiped by a reckless teenage driver who was fleeing from police.
"It's gutwrenching - you don't know what's going on. Your anxiety is up - you don't know what to expect when you pull up on the scene. I got the phone call and as a father I just wanted to get to the scene and make sure I could do everything I could to help but there was no way of knowing," the father said.
Teenagers were caught on surveillance video using a stolen car to smash into a vape shop in Henrico County. Sources say the car was hotwired by a USB cable - a turns into a juvenile committing several felonies.
"The younger generation of criminals - number one have a lack of respect for anything or anybody, and they're not afraid to go out and commit violence," Henrico Police Chief Eric English said.
A 15-year-old boy pulled off an armed carjacking in early August on Lakefield Mews Drive, which eventually led to a police pursuit.
During the chase, police say the teenage suspect would speed down Williamsburg Road and hit and kill 17-year-old Geormond Morton, who was biking home from Wendy's after his shift from work.
"There's not a care and fear. There's not a fear of life for many individuals. Many years ago you'd see a kid say 'I don't know if I'm going to live to be to 25,'" English said.
"Well, now kids don't know if they're going to live to be 20. We have to find ways in order to keep our kids more occupied and get them interested in things outside the criminal element," English said.
"The kids out here are doing reckless things and getting in trouble. You need to grab a hold of these children and steer them to something more positive because all this has is two endings - death or in jail," the father said.
Chief English says that many of the younger generation that are committing crimes are being raised by the streets - a dangerous cycle that parents and society may have to break.
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