Boy takes family truck to school, leads Sacramento deputies on chase before wreck
It was a busy morning for a 12-year-old, now in juvenile custody, after crashing the family truck into a Sacramento County sheriff’s patrol cruiser early Monday following a drive to his old elementary school, deputies said.
The incident began just after 7 a.m. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called after the boy took the vehicle and drove to Beitzel Elementary School, on the 8100 block of Caymus Drive, in south Sacramento’s Vineyard neighborhood. The car knocked over traffic cones as it left the campus.
Deputies caught up with and attempted to stop the truck, but the young driver did not stop, leading deputies through the neighborhood before striking a car, then the sheriff’s cruiser in the area of Gerber Road and Valley Wood Drive.
No one was injured and the 12-year-old was taken into custody, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Sheriff’s Office photos showed the wreck’s aftermath. The Ford truck, surrounded by sheriff’s vehicles, was left with a crumpled hood and front-end damage at the intersection.
This story was originally published September 22, 2025 at 10:49 AM.
.JPG)