Two teenagers are back in custody after they escaped a state facility, stole a truck from an Athens gas station and crashed into a truck that tried to stop them, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Police told the news station that the 15- and 16-year-old had gotten out of a Division of Family and Children Services center in Columbus. They then made their way to Athens and jumped into a truck parked outside a gas station.
Store manager Brij Shah said the couple who owned the vehicle left the keys in it when they entered the store. He said he and the two customers got into his truck and started following the teens.
“We followed them and we were guiding police on the operator,” he said.
Shah said he kept his distance because he wasn’t sure if the teens were armed. A police car blocked the path of the stolen truck, and the driver threw the vehicle in reverse, he said.
“The guy who stole the truck reversed back into my truck,” he said. Shah said the damaged vehicle is new and is valued at $60,000.
Police later located the teens and took them into custody after a brief chase. Their names were not released.
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