Two teenage suspects have been arrested after they allegedly damaged Mill Creek High School’s football field by driving onto it in a stolen pickup truck, authorities said Thursday.
Gwinnett County police said they had received a report about a stolen RAM 1500, which was taken Tuesday from the driveway of a home on Adams Acre Drive in Lawrenceville. Video surveillance shared by the truck’s owner showed the suspects, a 16-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy, entering several vehicles in the area before they found a set of keys inside the truck and drove off, officials said.
“After stealing the truck, the two suspects drove it to Mill Creek High School and used it to damage the football field,” police added.
The truck knocked over a gate and some fencing before doing doughnuts on the field, school district spokesman Bernard Watson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The damage to the field, which included tire marks, would have been worse had it been grass instead of turf, Watson said.
Maintenance and facility staff were already working on repairs. The damage isn’t expected to impact the football season for Mill Creek, whose first home game is scheduled for Aug. 30.
Later Tuesday, Flock cameras alerted law enforcement to the truck, which officers found behind a Walmart on Sardis Church Road in the Buford area. The two teens were still inside the vehicle, so officers tried to box it in by parking in front and behind it. After refusing commands, police said the 16-year-old drove toward an officer and nearly struck him.
According to authorities, the pursuit continued for a short distance before the truck crashed into another vehicle on Hamilton Mill Road. Both teens then exited the vehicle and ran, police said.
Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department
Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department
During the pursuit, officers quickly caught up to and tased the girl, according to bodycam footage shared by police Thursday. Her name was not released. The 17-year-old passenger, identified as Robert Krause of Lawrenceville, fled into the nearby woods and was apprehended by the department’s aviation unit, authorities said.
Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department
Credit: Gwinnett County Police Department
The 16-year-old was taken to a youth detention center, while Krause was booked into the Gwinnett jail on four counts each of entering auto and theft by taking, according to online records. Police said their charges also include aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, reckless driving, hit-and-run, driving without a license, obstruction and giving false name to a police officer. His bond was set at $9,100, jail records show.
“It’s unfortunate these young people made the decision to damage our property,” Watson said. “We hope the authorities are going to hold them accountable for their actions, and we’re in the process of making repairs so we can get back to normalcy and make sure that the teams have a place to play football.”
A similar incident occurred in September 2019 when three West Forsyth High School students allegedly damaged Roswell High’s band practice field by doing doughnuts, authorities said. The incident happened after bad weather forced a game between the two schools to be canceled. Fulton County Schools police charged the teens with second-degree criminal damage to property and reckless driving after they admitted to taking part, according to a police incident report.
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