12-Year-Old Repeat Offender Swiped Elderly Man's Car, Cops Say

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – A 12-year-old St. Petersburg boy has added another charge to his rap sheet after police say he stole a car from an 89-year-old Gulfport resident.

The incident in question unfolded Friday, Dec. 11, around 11 a.m. as Raymond Raftery was driving in his Toyota. A boy on a bicycle approached him and told him is tire was low on air.

“When Raftery pulled up to an air pump and got out of the car, the boy ditched his bike, jumped in the car and drove-off,” an email from the police department stated.

The incident at 4890 22nd Ave. S. happened to be caught on surveillance video. As it turned out, the boy was rather well known to officers. A detective quickly recognized him in the video, the police department said, and was able to arrest him on a grand theft auto charge Monday.

The boy, whose name is not being released, has been arrested more than 20 times in the past, the police department noted.

While no other cases like this have been reported in St. Petersburg, the agency said it wanted to share the story to remind motorists to be wary when approached by strangers, even 12-year-old boys.

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