Car thefts keep Tulsa Police busy overnight

A rash of auto thefts kept Tulsa Police busy early Wednesday morning. Officers say the first happened around 12:30 AM. <br/><br/>Police stopped a couple of cars near Queen and Elwood. One turned out to

Wednesday, August 4th 2004, 5:42 am

By: News On 6

A rash of auto thefts kept Tulsa Police busy early Wednesday morning. Officers say the first happened around 12:30 AM.

Police stopped a couple of cars near Queen and Elwood. One turned out to be stolen. Two 14-year-olds were taken into custody. The passenger was recently released from Juvenile Detention for auto theft. He was released to his parents.

Tulsa Police believe the vehicle was stolen from a rental agency. The driver of the other car drove off. Police are searching for that vehicle.

Not long after that, police pulled a car over near Independence and Lewis Place, which was reported stolen last month. One person claimed to have bought the car. Authorities say the story checked out, and no arrests were made.

A couple of hours later, officers made another stop near Virgin and Hartford. Authorities say the vehicle was reported stolen Monday evening. Police took three juveniles into custody, a girl and two boys ranging in age from 14 to 17.

Police say if parents enforced curfew laws, it would help prevent these types of crimes. Tulsa Police Sgt Robert Rohloff: "So far tonight city wide it looks like we've had at least a half a dozen vehicles stolen, most of those have been juveniles tonight. We've got a real problem it looks like with juveniles out after curfew, and committing these auto thefts."

Police say the weather combined with summer break have contributed to the recent rash of car thefts.