BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Mayor Brandon Scott unveiled his summer youth engagement strategy during a press conference Wednesday.
Juvenile crime remains a top concern among city leaders, police and prosecutors.
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Just weeks ago, Baltimore City Sheriff Sam Cogen spoke out after he said a deputy arrested a 10-year-old who had crashed a stolen car while trying to elude law enforcement.
“This shoots up like a giant red flag,” Cogen said. “It looks because of the age of the child that there’s not gonna be criminal charges in this matter, but the sheriff’s office is filing a petition for a child in need of assistance because we believe that it’s highly problematic to have a 10-year-old operating a stolen motor vehicle out in the streets of Baltimore.”
It’s one of many crimes committed at the hands of juveniles leading up to the summer months.
Back in March, four juveniles were charged with attempted first-degree murder in two separate shootings.
Investigators said one of the four juveniles had a prior arrest for auto theft.
Also back in March, two 17-year-old boys were arrested for the armed robbery of two adult teens in east Baltimore.
Investigators released an image of the gun seized from the crime.
In April, Baltimore Police announced they had arrested a 14-year-old on an open warrant for a 2025 robbery, and that the juvenile had been released on home monitoring despite having at least 10 prior arrests including for robbery, theft and assault.
The case prompted heavy questioning for the Department of Juvenile Services, but the agency refused to address the specific case citing privacy laws.
Baltimore City Police Commissioner Richard Worley also spoke out about concerns surrounding electronic monitors and called for more change.
BPD revealed the 14-year-old had been arrested while police were tracking a 15-year-old who had committed a carjacking.
According to BPD, the juveniles were found inside the same home and arrested.
“We were chasing another juvenile for a crime, and we found the one who had cut his ankle monitor off in the same house,” Commissioner Worley said.
“Are electronic monitors effective on juveniles?” FOX45 reporter Alexa Ashwell asked.
“I am not a fan of them because we continue to arrest young people with monitors on, and also young people with monitors that have been cut off. This same individual that we’re talking about that was released after multiple robberies, cut his ankle monitor off. It’s frustrating because you want the best for these young people, but sometimes they need to feel some penalty. We want them to become productive adults, but just continuing to put them out there to commit crimes and just mess up their lives moving forward is not the answer,” Worley responded.
Since the commissioner’s call for stiffer penalties and ensured consequence for juveniles, there have been other cases.
Just this past weekend, three juveniles were arrested after an armed robbery at a convenience store near the Inner Harbor.
In another case, police said a 38-year-old man was hospitalized after he was assaulted and stabbed in an attack believed to be at the hands of juveniles. No arrests have been made.
Juveniles have also fallen victim to crimes.
Back in March, Mervo High School student Jaythan Day was fatally shot inside a home in the city.
Baltimore Police later announced the arrest of a 20-year-old man for his murder.
That same weekend, several other juveniles fell victim to violence.
According to police, a 14-year-old boy was shot in the 1000 block of Abbott Court, and is expected to survive his injuries.
A 16-year-old female was injured in a cutting on South Central Avenue. Investigators say the call was domestic related.
Watch the full press conference revealing the summer youth engagement strategy below:
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