12-Year-Old Arrested After Tulsa Car Theft

Police say a 12-year-old boy is in custody and two other teens are on the run after officers say they broke into a business and stole the owner's car Thursday. 

Tulsa police were able to track down the car thanks to surveillance video, a GPS tracker, and the mother of one of the suspects.

Surveillance video shows one of the three boys throwing a brick through a window of the business in the 3600 block of East 102nd Street before crawling inside and grabbing the car keys.

The video shows the moment John Cunningham believes the suspects realized the car keys were inside the building.

"I foolishly left them on the kitchen counter," Cunningham said. 

One boy climbed inside and went into Cunningham's office.

Cunningham got alerts on his cell phone around 2 a.m.

"A lot of times it's just a dog or a cat. I pulled it up this time and realized my car was gone," Cunningham said. 

He called police and fortunately had a GPS tracker on his car.

"I saw them park at the QuikTrip," Cunningham said. "I don't think I would have noticed the car was gone until I got to work this morning, and then there's no telling how far they would have gotten with it."

Cunningham told police where they were, but when officers got there, the boys ran from police. They're 12, 13 and 16.

Police say the 12-year-old boy's mother actually helped track him down.

"This is one of those cases where a mother shows up, says, ‘you're looking for my son and I'll tell you exactly where he's at.’ So good for her," said Sergeant Shane Tuell. 

Tuell said it's a good thing Cunningham had all the right technology because it helped police track the car.

"Get video, get something, pay for that cost up front because the reward you will get for it will more than pay for itself," Tuell said. 

Cunningham said he's still optimistic about his new office space, which he's only been in since March.

"I still think it's a good part of town, I really do," he said. 

Tulsa police said they're still looking for the two older suspects, but they know who they are and they feel confident they'll catch them.