HIGH POINT, N.C. — Security footage has been released after a dealership in High Point was broken into by three teens and two children.
Three teenagers were arrested. Two of them are 16 and 17 years old. Two other children who were arrested are 11 and 12 years old.
Suspects were seen on video running out of the dealership as police officers followed behind, eventually arresting them.
Last Friday, High Point police said they were told that someone was pulling on the door handles at the Carolina Hyundai dealership on North Main Street around 3:23 a.m.
The group eventually made it inside the building; one was even seen carrying a gun.
High Point police officers arrived at the scene less than five minutes after receiving the call.
This is something the dealership said they are grateful for:
“We would like to thank the High Point PD for their rapid response and overall handling of the situation. We are pleased that our security protocols resulted in no losses to any customer property. Our thoughts and prayers are with these young people and their families.” -Carolina Hyundai of High Point
High Point police said this is what they are trained to do.
"Between the time that the call was dispatched to an officer, and the first officer arrived at the scene was fewer than five minutes and I think that says a lot about our police department. We care about this community. Crime fighting is our number one goal and so when we receive calls, we’re going to respond as quickly as we can," said Victoria Ruvio with High Point police.
When officers arrived at the scene, they drove around to the back of the building. That’s when three people ran away and were eventually arrested. The other two suspects were sitting in a stolen car in a nearby parking lot.
That car was reported stolen from Modern Nissan of Winston-Salem. We reached out to them but haven’t heard back.
Officers took the kids into custody.
The teens are facing charges. The two children are not currently facing charges related to this case.
Juvenile crime has increased across the city, according to High Point police.
This year alone, there have already been 64 arrests of children between the ages of 10 and 17. That’s compared to 308 for the entire year of 2022.
"I think one thing to note in this case is that it also involves younger people," Ruvio said. "We had two people involved in this. They were not charged, but they were present. They were 11 and 12 years old. We are seeing an increase in juvenile crime, and the offenders and people involved and present are getting younger.”
High Point police want to stress how they're seeing more juveniles going out and looking for unlocked cars.
The best thing you can do is make sure your doors stay locked.