5 teens face nearly 300 charges in sprawling crime spree

Durham police have filed 296 juvenile petitions against five teenagers in a series of motor vehicle break-ins in the city between late December 2024 and mid-January 2025.
Posted 2/14/2025, 10:30:54 PM Updated 2/15/2025, 1:58:06 AM

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>> DURHAM POLICE SAY THEY HAVE

ARRESTED THE TEENAGER'S BEHIND

A STRING OF CAR BREAK-INS THAT

GO BACK TO CHRISTMAS. 5

TEENAGERS FACE NEARLY 300

CHARGES FOR BREAKING INTO CARS

USING STOLEN CREDIT CARDS AND

EVEN STEALING A GUN 2 OF THE

TEENS ARRESTED ARE CONNECTED TO

AT LEAST 2 OTHER SHOOTINGS

AROUND THE SAME TIME. WRAL'S

BRETT KNESE IS LIVE NOW IN

DURHAM. AND BUT THE MAYOR THERE

IS FRUSTRATED OVER THIS TREND

OF YOUTH CRIME.

>> HE IS AND HE WANTS TO SEE

MORE SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN

PROGRAMS. HE BELIEVES WILL HELP

BREAK THE CYCLE. IT SAYS UNTIL

THAT HAPPENS, THIS IS WHAT

WE'LL CONTINUE TO SEE.

>> THE LAUNDRY LIST OF CHARGES.

5 DURHAM TEENS ARE FACING

FIELDS NEVER ENDING DURHAM.

POLICE SAY ONE 14 YEAR-OLD BOY,

2.15, YEAR-OLD BOYS. ONE 16

YEAR-OLD GIRL AND A 17 YEAR-OLD

BOY ARE BEHIND A SPRAWLING

CRIME SPREE IN TOTAL THERE

FACING 296 CHARGES LINKED TO A

CAR BREAK-IN AFTER CAR

BREAK-IN. POLICE SAY THEY HAVE

LINKED THE THIEVES TO CRIME.

STARTING THE DAY AFTER

CHRISTMAS THROUGH THE MIDDLE

OF JANUARY, THEY HIT 11

DIFFERENT SPOTS, BREAKING INTO

CARS AND TAKING THINGS LIKE

DEBIT AND CREDIT CARDS AND EVEN

GUNS. THE 14 YEAR-OLD BOY IN

THIS CRIME SPREE IS THE SAME

14 YEAR-OLD POLICE SAY SHOT AND

KILLED A 15 YEAR-OLD ON

JANUARY. 11TH. WE ARE NOT

RESPONDING TO WHAT IS RIGHT

BEFORE OUR EYES. DURHAM MAYOR

LEONARDO WILLIAMS SAYS HE'S

TIRED OF SEEING CRIME BEING

COMMITTED BY YOUNGER AND

YOUNGER KIDS. I'M GOING TO BE

NICE ABOUT IT IS THE FACT.

>> OUR KIDS DON'T FEEL SAFE

AND WE GOT INSIDE. HE SAYS

INITIATIVES LIKE THE BULL CITY

FUTURE FUND COULD HELP, BUT

THEY NEED MORE MONEY TO MAKE

IT WORK. WE GET 100,000 FROM

2, 3, PC AND THE COMBINED

EFFORT FROM THE CITY AND COUNTY

OF 32,000. AND THEN MY

BROTHER'S KEEPER, 11,143 $1000

THAT WE'RE SAYING IS THAT WE'RE

RESPONDING TO GO IN THE GAME.

BUT WAS THIS MORNING?

>> WILLIAMS SAYS THAT SAYS THEY

ARE FINALLY ACCEPTING

APPLICATIONS FOR ORGANIZATIONS

TO EXCEPT 2 APPLY FOR MONEY

AND ACCESS SOME OF THAT MONEY

FROM THAT FUND. BUT THEY ARE

ONLY HALFWAY TO THEIR MILLION

DOLLAR GOAL. AS FOR THOSE 5