PORT ARTHUR, Texas — At least five teens entered the Park Central Apartments in the early hours Sunday morning to steal cars with the intent to upload the theft video and hop on a viral trend,
Police believe this is in connection to the TikTok 'Kia Boyz' challenge that went viral in 2021. And if you have an older model Kia or Hyundai, you could fall victim.
In an attempt to rip off a door camera to avoid being caught, a teen triggered an alarm that prompted a resident to call police.
The juveniles were caught with two stolen Hyundai's and officers say they were looking for more vehicles.
"We found the steering column of one Kia ripped out and the windows on several vehicles smashed," said a resident at the Park Central Apartments.
They asked 12News to protect their identity in fear of retaliation.
Port Arthur detectives say a flat head screwdriver and a USB cable are the only tools that thieves as young as 10-years old need to start older models of Kia and Hyundai vehicles and take them joyriding all for the purpose of going viral.
"So essentially, these children, were stealing vehicles," police said.
These apartments in Port Arthur were hit this past weekend, with older-model Hyundai's and Kia's getting their windows smashed and steering columns destroyed.
"They did break in to several vehicles over here, and that's why they were trying to get rid of my camera," the resident said.
Police soon responded to the crime that involved six juveniles initially arriving on-scene in two recently stolen Hyundai's.
"When the police showed up, there was two vehicles that were driving a little erratically, and, so, they caught them," they said.
Victims of this dangerous trend have one question: Where are their parents?
"I have no right to tell you how to parent your children, but be aware of what they're doing and who they're hanging out with, and maybe find them some better alternatives," the resident said.
"If you are participating in this trend, you will get caught. It's not just funny, it's not just for a social hype, you're not going to be cool, you could end up hurting yourself or hurting someone else."
12News can confirm that there were at least five juveniles arrested in connection with this incident.
Police said they would like to remind all owners of Kia's and Hyundai's dated from 2011-2021 that they can go to their local dealership and have engine immobilizers installed free of charge.
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