A 15-year-old stole a police car while officers were breaking up the party he was attending in Mesa, cops say.
The youngster's name wasn't released by police, but Mesa Police Sergeant Tony Landato says he was seen running from the home when police arrived, but returned to hop into the front seat of a police car.
Police had already cited several underage drinkers at the condo -- at 520 North Mesa Drive -- early Sunday morning, as two officers were still there dealing with an "extremely intoxicated and unresponsive" kid who was being treated by the fire department.
These two officers were the last ones remaining at the scene, as one officer was inside the ambulance, and the other was standing on the passenger side of the patrol car, Landato says.
That's when the 15-year-old hopped in and started driving, initially undetected. However, he quickly backed the police car into another car, drawing some attention.
One of the officers ran around to the driver's side of his patrol car tried to rip the boy out of the vehicle, but the boy was able to drive away -- as he hit the ambulance in the process.
A few blocks away, officers found the car and the boy -- which weren't together at this point. The youngster hopped out of the car, which he left in reverse, as it rolled back down the street.
Police were able to arrest the kid, and an officer in a car was able to use the push-bars on his car to stop the runaway police car from rolling onto Mesa Drive.
No one was injured during all of this, and all of the damage appears to be fairly minor.
The 15-year-old was booked into jail on quite a few charges, including car theft, aggravated assault, DUI, endangerment, hit-and-run, and more.
Send feedback and tips to the author.
Follow Matthew Hendley on Twitter at @MatthewHendley.