Police found a sedan parked in the middle of an intersection in Oroville, California, at about 9:20 a.m. March 27. But what happened next surprised them.
CHP officers say the scene was “straight out of a movie” as it unfolded at the intersection of Grand Avenue and 4th Street in the small town about 70 miles north of Sacramento.
When an officer instructed the driver to move, the vehicle unexpectedly sped off, leading to a short and erratic chase that ended in the dirt parking lot next to Plumas Avenue Elementary School.
That’s when police discovered who was behind the wheel.
“The driver was a 9-year-old child on a mission to drive himself to school in his mother’s car,” the CHP reported.
The officer said he pulled his patrol car behind the sedan and the boy backed into him slowly, as if the car was in reverse.
The officer then got a look at the young driver, who leaned his head out of the window and said: “Sorry! I’m just trying to get to school.”
His grandmother told the news station the boy’s mother was in the bathroom and came out to find the boy gone, along with her keys and car, according to CBS13 News.
His mother called 911 “hysterically,” the grandmother said.
“By the grace of God, [Officer Dunn] came up to the intersection, saw my grandson in the middle of the intersection,” she said.
The grandmother described the boy as 3 feet, 11 inches tall with blond hair and “big blue eyes.” The boy admitted later he could barely reach the pedals of the car and couldn’t see clearly over the steering wheel, his grandmother said.
The family is now celebrating but are not taking this event lightly. The boy has since apologized repeatedly, his grandmother said.
“We are relieved to report that no one was injured in this incident,” the CHP said.
The boy was sent safely to class after the necessary authorities were alerted and the case was documented, police said.
The CHP said the incident serves as a wake-up call to secure vehicles and educate children on the dangers of unauthorized driving.
