A 16-year-old boy who sneaked out at night and took his mother's car was suspected of driving under the influence in a crash that left four people injured Thursday in Santa Ana.
He was speeding down the 1600 block of South Greenville Street at 11 a.m. when he lost control of the silver sedan, which jumped the curb, veered onto a sidewalk and plowed into pedestrians, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. The car then slammed into a light pole.
Four patients were taken to the hospital and were in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.
The teen also did not have a license, police said. His family said he took off the night before with his mother's Honda Accord.
"He just got the car, and he left," Alex Resendiz, the teen's uncle, told NBC4.
Police are not releasing the boy's name because of his age. He is facing charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and driving without a license, Bertagna said.
The boy's family apologized to the victims' families and said they feel betrayed by him.
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"I wanted him to change a long time ago, I wanted him to take my steps," Resendiz said. "I tried to turn him around several times."
The boy was released to his parents Thursday and police plan to petition to have him charged as a juvenile, Bertagna said.
