PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - A teenager was arrested, Thursday morning, and has been accused of burglarizing a police cruiser in Pembroke Pines.
Police arrested 16-year-old Christopher Clarke after he turned himself in to police at the urging of his friends and family.
According to the police report, detectives said the teen, an 11th-grader at Hallandale High School, “… admitted to committing multiple vehicle burglaries that night.”
Authorities said Clarke was caught on surveillance video opening a possibly unlocked Opa-locka Police cruiser and stealing an assault rifle and police gear.
The video shows Clarke approaching the vehicle three times before, police said, he walked off with a police tactical vest, an AR-15 rifle, a Taser and several rounds of ammo.
Officials said the burglary took place in the Sunswept community, near Taft and 86th Avenue, Tuesday, just before 3 a.m.
The teen’s friends and family urged Clarke to turn himself in after they saw the surveillance video on the news, according to police.
Clarke later turned himself in, but police said he was laughing about the incident as he did so.
7News stopped by the teenager’s Hallandale Beach home hours after his arrest, but his family members declined to comment on the case.
Police are still trying to figure out what Clarke did with the weapons he stole.
Court records show that Clarke admitted to possessing the weapons at one time, but the records also say, “The defendant stated that he threw away the stolen items (including the rifle) in different dumpsters but could not advise of a location.”
Clarke has been charged with burglary. His next court appearance is set for Wednesday.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.