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3 teens in critical condition after crashing stolen Kia, running red light

Three teens are in critical condition on Wednesday after getting into a serious crash just before midnight. Renton police say the teens were in a red stolen Kia, ran a red light, and t-boned an innocent driver.

The crash happened at the intersection of Airport Way and the Renton Avenue Extension. The teens finally came to a stop inches away from the Renton Laundry, stopped by some shrubs and a curb.

An 18-year-old driver had minor injuries and was booked into the King County Jail after being treated. The other teens in the car were as young as 14.

Initial reports said a total of six teens were in the stolen car and that alcohol and excessive speed may have been factors in the crash.

Renton police Detective Robert Onishi says the problem of teens stealing cars appears to be getting worse.

In Renton alone, Onishi said the city saw 313 vehicles stolen just in January and February this year. About 150 of them were Kias or Hyundais.

“That’s unprecedented,” Onishi said. “Seems to be associated with a lot more young suspects than some of our other stolen vehicles,” he said.

It’s a stark contrast to last year, when Renton saw 194 vehicles stolen in the same time frame, with only seven of them Kias or Hyundais.

That means the number of stolen Kias and Hyundais so far this year has increased 21-fold in Renton compared to this time last year.

The ease of stealing certain Kia and Hyundai models has been popularized on TikTok and the surge of those vehicles getting stolen is happening nationwide.

The Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force (PSATTF) has been offering free steering wheel locks for owners of those targeted vehicles to make it a little harder to steal them.

“Having these cars that are really easy to break into really makes it a lot easier for these kids to do all this really, really bad stuff,” said Sgt. Darren Moss with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and a spokesperson for PSATTF.

The car manufacturers are also in the middle of rolling out software upgrades to certain models to prevent the car stealing method from working.

“We’re just hoping that the trend will slow down or stop. Getting in contact and arresting more of these kids and getting them in the system, getting them to resources that will help in the long run,” Moss said.

Det. Onishi says as the conversation continues on how the justice system should handle teen crimes, it’s important to keep accountability in mind in addition to programs to benefit teens.

“If we step back and don’t somehow constrain their behavior, we run the risk of having the exact same thing happen tomorrow. And the day after that, and the day after that,” Onishi said.

The latest Renton crash involved a car that was reported stolen out of King County Sheriff’s jurisdiction on Tuesday. It’s not clear yet if the vehicle was involved in any other crimes.