'She's old, there's a car I know I can take it': Prosecutors say teen confessed to carjacking (2024)

MILWAUKEE —

A 15-year-old boy appeared in juvenile court Thursday afternoon, accused of a violent carjacking inside a hospital parking structure.

Court documents WISN 12 News obtained contain still images from surveillance video inside the Aurora St. Luke's parking structure near 29th and Dakota at 5:41 a.m. Tuesday.

A 75-year-old woman is seen in her work scrubs as a hooded figure approaches from behind. Prosecutors say the teen boy threw the woman to the ground, stomped on her face, beat her, yanked her car keys from the lanyard around her neck and drove away.

Less than 24 hours later, Wednesday, just after 2 a.m., Greendale police chased a car that refused to pull over. The car eventually crashed near 15th and Burnham streets.

Investigators said the gray Honda Accord involved in the chase and crash was the car stolen from the hospital parking garage. Police arrested two people at the scene, including the 15-year-old boy, who investigators say is behind the violent carjacking.

"The victim here is a vulnerable one, being over 60 years old. That fact does not appear to have been lost on the juvenile, as evidenced by his statement to police thereafter," Assistant District Attorney Levi Keeku said.

According to court documents, the teen confessed, stating, "I seen her, she's old, there's a car I know I can take it."

In juvenile court via Zoom Thursday afternoon, a court commissioner ordered him to remain in custody.

"He was already on a GPS monitor, out in the community. He is alleged to have cut the GPS monitor off. The only appropriate placement at this time is secure detention," juvenile court commissioner Katryna Childs Rhodes said.

Prosecutors filed a waiver petition, asking that the case be moved to adult court. Court records show the juvenile had been involved in at least two other cases involving stolen cars at the time of the carjacking. The state said he requires a higher level of accountability than the juvenile justice system can provide.

WISN 12 News is not naming the teen because he is still in the juvenile system.

In a statement to WISN 12 News, Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center said, "The safety of our patients, visitors and teammates is one of our highest priorities. In response to the recent incident, we have increased the presence of public safety officers across our campus. This is in addition to our security camera monitoring and blue light emergency phones located on every floor and in multiple locations in all parking structures. We are also partnering closely with Milwaukee Police Department and we are committed to continuously improving the safety and security of our campus based on feedback from our teammates."