Embarrassed LAPD Investigating How Teen Cadets Stole Patrol Cars, Led Real Cops In High-Speed Chase

LOS ANGELES, CA — Embarrassed police officials are investigating how three teens enrolled in the Los Angeles Police Department's cadet program managed to steal three patrol cars and then led real cops on two separate wild chases through the city that ended with a series of crashes in South Los Angeles. The teens may have had at least one car for weeks and may have been impersonating police while driving it in Central and South Los Angeles and in Inglewood.

The teens were among more than 2,300 enrolled in the department's 18-week cadet program, which officials have long held up as a success story benefitting thousands of young people between 13 and 20. Cadets take various classes while getting an introduction to police work, building life skills and earning an opportunity to volunteer at events such as Dodgers games.

But on Wednesday night, the three rogue cadets, from 15 to 17 years old, provided police officials with a learning experience of their own. Top officers have ordered a review of the cadet program and procedures for signing out and tracking police equipment.

Department officials discovered Wednesday evening that the cruisers had gone missing. An investigation “almost immediately” turned up a video of a 16-year-old female cadet fueling the car at a city gas pump.

Police spotted two of the stolen vehicles a few hours later, at about 9:35 p.m. Wednesday, in the 400 block of East 61st Street, between San Pedro Street and Avalon Boulevard.

The two vehicles were being driven by cadets in tandem when they were spotted by officers, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said Thursday. The stolen cruisers split and sped off, creating two chases, one of which ended when the teen driver crashed in the area of 77th and San Pedro streets and was arrested. The other stolen cruiser crashed into another vehicle at Adams Boulevard and Central Avenue, and that driver was also was taken into custody.

Beck also said the suspects were in possession of some LAPD equipment, including stun guns, radios and a bullet-proof vest, although no firearms are believed to be missing.

The LAPD has more than 1,800 black-and-white squad vehicles but they are not all used every day, and because of the suspects' familiarity with the computer system, they were able to sign out the vehicles and conceal the thefts, Beck said.

The third missing vehicle was discovered parked on a street.

Beck warned that the cadets may have been impersonating police officers when they were in possession of the vehicles.

"We believe they may have been impersonating officers, and we want the public's help. Anybody that believes that they may have come into contact with very young-looking folks that claimed to be police officers, primarily in the south or central parts of the city, or possibly in areas west of that, such as in Inglewood, we would like to know," Beck said at a news conference at LAPD headquarters.

Beck said it was "not easy" to check out a police vehicle, and cadets are not supposed to have access to them.

A female driver whose car was hit during the chase was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, police said. It wasn't immediately clear how the third suspect was involved in the incident, but Beck said the three suspects -- one female and two males -- were working together.

An officer crashed into a civilian vehicle near the intersection of Gage Avenue and Broadway during the chase, police said. There were no reports of any serious injuries involved in that crash.

"I'm very proud of our cadet program and I don't want the actions of these three individuals to reflect negatively on the other 2,300," Beck said.

City News Service's Craig Clough and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report; Photo: Shutterstock