Two juveniles accused of stealing dump truck in custody - KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana News Weather & Sports

Two juveniles accused of stealing dump truck in custody

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SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) -

Two juveniles crashed through a pair of gates in a stolen Shreveport dump truck Tuesday morning, but they didn't get far.

Police say the two juveniles stole the vehicle from the Streets and Drainage department's parking lot in the Caddo Heights neighborhood.

Richard Davis works as a crew leader with the department. He was on his way to work when he saw something strange.

"All of the sudden I had this truck run in front of me across and intersection," said Davis. "The driver was flying. I knew it wasn't one of our guys because we shouldn't have a truck out at that time of morning. I called to work to check and it wasn't one of us so I got behind him and called police."

The underaged suspects didn't stay in the truck long. They drove about three miles before driving across some grass and abandoning the truck in an empty warehouse near the intersection of St. Vincent Ave. and W. 63rd. They led police on a foot chase along the railroad tracks near I-49 before they were caught and arrested.

Managers at the Streets and Drainage department said the keys were left in two dump trucks overnight for a maintenance crew because the trucks needed repairs. That's not a common practice for the department.

Detective Roger Courtney said police have seen an increase in these kinds of crimes, but he believes they'll drop once school starts.

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