The [nine year old fourth grade] boy was unhappy after his family moved to Lakewood, outside Tacoma, Wash. His odyssey began Sunday when he stole a car that was left running outside a neighbor's house, only to be spotted by police near a highway intersection.
Police pursued Semaj at speeds up to 90 mph until he took an exit and the engine blew, after which the car went over a curb and coasted into a tree. He refused to come out of the car, so officers broke a window to unlock a door and immediately recognized him as a frequent runaway and car thief, Lakewood police Lt. David B. Guttu said.
After his failed runaway attempt Sunday, Semaj escaped from home again on Tuesday, this time traveling by plane instead of car.
Last month Semaj also crashed a stolen car before being caught by police in Tacoma, and more recently he was caught in Seattle in a stolen car that had run out of gas, said his mother, Sakinah Booker.
She believes he learned to drive from playing video games on a PlayStation.
I never knew cars came with yellow triangle buttons or D-pads. But, hey, I learned how to drive a car in the early 80s thanks to:
