OAKLAND \u2014 A 17-year-old boy under arrest for carjacking and burglary was able to free himself from handcuffs inside an Oakland police SUV Monday night, driving away in the vehicle and eluding officers for several miles before the vehicle was disabled and the suspect re-arrested, authorities said.<\/p>\n
The incident started about 7:30 p.m. Monday at a parking lot at Highland Hospital in the 1400 block of East 31st Street.<\/p>\n
Authorities said the youth had been arrested earlier in the day after a vehicle linked to a series of Alameda burglaries crashed in Oakland and several occupants fled. The youth was the only one captured.<\/p>\n
He was already wanted as a suspect in more than one Oakland carjacking in October 2025, authorities confirmed.<\/p>\n
He had been medically cleared at the hospital and was handcuffed in the rear seat of the marked SUV, waiting to be taken to Juvenile Hall.<\/p>\n
While officers were away from the vehicle, the youth was able to slip out of the handcuffs and get into the front seat of the vehicle \u2014 which had the keys in the ignition \u2014 and drive away, authorities said.<\/p>\n
Ground units did not directly pursue the SUV, relying on the police helicopter flying overhead to track the vehicle.<\/p>\n
It finally blew a tire on a spike strip officers put down and stopped in the 1100 block of 35th Avenue, where the youth was taken into custody. He was later taken to Juvenile Hall, authorities said.<\/p>\n