Six teenagers in Maryland have been charged in connection with two recent carjackings during which the juveniles were allegedly armed with loaded ghost guns, authorities said Monday.
The latest carjacking happened Sunday in broad daylight in District Heights, the Prince George’s County Police Department said.
Officers responded to the armed carjacking around 1:30 p.m. and spotted two suspects running from the scene, and a brief foot-chase ensued. The two suspects, ages 17 and 16, were arrested.
Both teens were found with a loaded ghost gun in their possession, according to authorities.
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Ghost guns are unserialized, privately made firearms. Without serial numbers, law enforcement has a difficult time tracing a ghost gun found at a crime scene back to an individual purchase.
Each of the teens were charged as adults with attempted armed carjacking and firearms offenses. They were being held at the Department of Corrections.
In a separate case, a car stolen in another carjacking that occurred days earlier in Forestville was located Thursday near Addison Road and Central Avenue, police said.
The officers stopped the car and arrested four juveniles inside the vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle and found a loaded ghost gun, officials said.
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All four suspects were 15 years old and from Washington, D.C., and were charged as juveniles with unauthorized use of a vehicle and possession of a firearm.
The department said its carjacking unit has charged 32 juveniles and 19 adults in connection with carjacking cases so far this year.
In nearby Washington, D.C., publicly released police data shows there have been 162 carjacking cases year-to-date – a 22% increase compared to the same period last year.
Of those cases, 73% have involved guns and just 26 cases have been closed, according to the data.
