Teen steals pickup truck, crashes it

A juvenile sustained serious injuries after allegedly stealing a vehicle and crashing it in North Columbia.

Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said in a news release that a 15-year-old boy is accused of stealing a Dodge Ram pickup truck at about 6:30 a.m. today that was parked at at on Luvalie Street. The vehicle was left unattended with the keys in the ignition and the engine running.

The suspect allegedly drove the truck to the intersection of Mauldin Avenue and Colleton Street where he crashed into a chain link fence and a tree before hitting a parked SUV and a telephone pole. The vehicle came to a rest in the front yard of a residence.

The suspect sustained serious facial injuries while crashing into the fence, the release stated. No one else was injured during the incident. Police believe the teenager was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

Columbia police and Columbia Fire Department responded to the crash, where EMS transported him to a local hospital.

Police continue to investigate this case and stated the suspect will be charged with grand larceny of a motor vehicle, reckless driving, and driving without a driver's license.

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 1:15 PM.