Police: Girl, 10, steals van from group home, joyrides through west Fresno

A 10-year-old girl stole her group home’s minivan Friday and took more than a few laps around the block west of Highway 99 in Fresno, police said.

Lt. Joe Gomez said police were dispatched to the area of Nielsen and Thorne avenues for a reported reckless driver in a green Toyota minivan. A patrol officer spoted the van traveling westbound on Belmont Avenue near Highway 99 and turned on the siren.

The van darted north on Hughes Avenue before eventually pulling over. The officer approached the van and contacted its young driver. She was the only person in the vehicle.

Police learned the girl had just returned to the group home from school when she somehow got hold of the van’s keys. They also discovered that her drive took her southbound on Highway 99, where she hit another vehicle while exiting on the Olive Avenue offramp.

No one was injured during the incident. The van was towed to a repair shop, and the girl was returned to her group home, Gomez said.

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 4:25 PM with the headline "Police: Girl, 10, steals van from group home, joyrides through west Fresno."