Police: Meadville teens crash stolen car

Mike Crowley, The Meadville Tribune, Pa.
·2 min read
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Nov. 15—WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, Erie. County — Four Meadville teens allegedly fled to a nearby gas station after the stolen car they were traveling in early Sunday morning struck a deer, according to Pennsylvania State Police at Girard.

When troopers arrived, one of the teens then allegedly attempted to hide a stolen and loaded handgun he was carrying, police reported.

The teens — two 15-year-old boys and two girls whose ages were not released by police — were traveling north on Interstate 79 shortly before 4 a.m. when the crash occurred, according to a police press release. The crash sent the vehicle off the eastern side of the roadway near the Route 6N exit at mile marker 166, police reported. The vehicle was a 2016 Kia Optima owned by a 35-year-old woman that had allegedly been stolen from within the city of Meadville

State troopers responded at approximately 4 a.m. and eventually located the teens at Sheetz, 5930 Route 6N. The boy who allegedly had a stolen and loaded 9 mm handgun — police did not specify whether the boy was the driver of the car or a passenger — tried to hide it in a bathroom garbage can as troopers arrived, according to the press release.

All four of the teens were treated at Meadville Medical Center for minor injuries. None of the teens involved were identified by police due to their age. The two boys, both of whom reside in the city of Meadville, were taken into custody by juvenile probation officers from Erie and Crawford counties for probation violations and other charges, according to police.

The police investigation into the incident remains ongoing.

State police were assisted at the scene by Edinboro Volunteer Fire Department.

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com.