Juveniles Cause $800,000 in Damage With Dealership Demo Derby

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

On January 6th, local law enforcement reported that four kids enjoyed a night of destructive mayhem at a Houston-area CarMax dealership located in the 16100 block of the North Freeway. According to local reports, police were responding to a call where four young males were caught on video surveillance breaking into multiple vehicles. However, things got really interesting after officials learned the cars weren’t being stolen, but rather used to intentionally mangle other vehicles on the lot just for the thrill.

Police claim approximately $800,000 in damages after the group managed to intentionally wreck nearly two dozen automobiles. While none of the suspects’ names have been released, it’s probably safe to assume rowdy teens — mankind’s greatest foe — are to blame.

The story is oddly familiar to an event we covered in 2016, where a trio of teens stole and immediately wrecked three Dodge Hellcats less than a mile into their getaway. Only the Houston juveniles don’t appear to have had any interest in actually stealing the cars. Instead, it seems they broke into the Texas dealership specifically to play bumper cars with its inventory.

According to Harris County Constable Mark Herman (whose Facebook post we found via Jalopnik during our lunch break), the four suspects mashed up 20 vehicles before police arrived. In his post are several photos illustrating the damage, which included a bruised and battered Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack, Corvette Z06, Jaguar XE, and a Porsche Boxster.

Herman said further investigation at the scene revealed the group gained access to the dealership keys and used them to open several vehicles used in the destruction before attempting to flee when police reached the scene. “All four juveniles were arrested and booked into the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center, charged with 1st Degree Felony Criminal Mischief,” the Constable said.

[Images: Harris County Constable Mark Herman/ Facebook]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Thelaine Thelaine on Jan 11, 2019

    They will get "home on probation" and will pay nothing or nearly nothing. Those who think differently don't know how things work. If they were adults, they would do a few days in jail, be ordered to pay restitution and would also pay nothing. Get real, people. This is a property crime. Drug abuse and property crime, including theft, are not taken seriously any more in MANY jurisdictions. If you are a merchant, good luck. The fashion today is to end "over-incarceration" and substitute "rehabilitation." If you did not mutilate, rape or murder another human being, you have a great chance to avoid jail. And it is rare indeed for a judge to put someone in custody for failure to pay restitution. The order is made, and promptly ignored.

    • See 8 previous
    • ToddAtlasF1 ToddAtlasF1 on Jan 13, 2019

      @thelaine If anyone's got the playbook on eliminating honest discourse, it is certainly you. Do you care about what any of the words you use mean? Politely? Endless? Racism? Maybe your book was actually written by Trotsky. He's being credited with creating cultural Marxism these days.

  • JD-Shifty JD-Shifty on Jan 13, 2019

    what If I think Miata grandpa is vermin?

    • I'd be curious about your reasoning, and especially how you'd compare me - a law-abiding and productive member of civilized society - to the obvious criminal filth that are the subject of this article.

  • TCowner We've had a 64.5 Mustang in the family for the past 40 years. It is all original, Rangoon Red coupe with 289 (one of the first instead of the 260), Rally Pac, 4-speed, factory air, every option. Always gets smiles and thumbs ups.
  • ToolGuy This might be a good option for my spouse when it becomes available -- thought about reserving one but the $500 deposit is a little too serious. Oh sorry, that was the Volvo EX30, not the Mustang. Is Volvo part of Ford? Is the Mustang an EV? I'm so confused.
  • Mikey My late wife loved Mustangs ..We alway rented one while travelling . GM blood vetoed me purchasing one . 3 years after retirement bought an 08 rag top, followed by a 15 EB Hard top, In 18 i bought a low low mileage 05 GT rag with a stick.. The car had not been properly stored. That led to rodent issues !! Electrical nightmare. Lots of bucks !! The stick wasn't kind to my aging knees.. The 05 went to a long term dedicated Mustang guy. He loves it .. Today my garage tenant is a sweet 19 Camaro RS rag 6yl Auto. I just might take it out of hibernation this weekend. The Mustang will always hold a place in my heart.. Kudos to Ford for keeping it alive . I refuse to refer to the fake one by that storied name .
  • Ajla On the Mach-E, I still don't like it but my understanding is that it helps allow Ford to continue offering a V8 in the Mustang and F-150. Considering Dodge and Ram jumped off a cliff into 6-cylinder land there's probably some credibility to that story.
  • Ajla If I was Ford I would just troll Stellantis at all times.
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