Photo: Bogdan Popa/autoevolution/Fox 13
The Kia Boys saga is not even close to coming to an end, at least not until everybody patches their cars or installs steering wheel locks.
Four teenagers were involved in a Hollywood-style chase last week in Renton, Washington, after stealing a Hyundai and running away from the police. The pursuit was caught on video thanks to a police helicopter.
It all started when two kids, one of them aged only 8, called 911 to tell the dispatcher that someone in a red car threatened them with a gun. A patrol car responded to the call, only to discover a 2016 Hyundai Sonata driving erratically.
Upon further checks, they learned that the red Hyundai was reported stolen, so the officers engaged in a chase, asking for air support to follow the vehicle.
The recording is intense, showing the Kia Boys running multiple red lights and nearly crashing into several other vehicles on the road. It's a mystery how they escaped without hitting another car, especially after going through several busy intersections, and even the police are amazed nobody was injured.
The stolen car eventually crashed into a pole at Southcenter Mall, and the four Kia Boys inside tried to escape on foot. It didn't take long after the police caught two of them, with the other two identified hours later.
The two teenagers were arrested but were eventually… released, with the police complaining to the local media that "we have laws, but laws without consequences just end up being suggestions." Police still struggle to find a way to charge the two teens and arrest the other two.
The Kia Boys trend started two years ago when someone shared on TikTok a way to steal certain Hyundai and Kia cars lacking immobilizers. The method requires only a USB cable, and thieves can start the engine by ripping off the steering wheel column. Thieves typically break a car window to get inside and use the USB cable to turn on the engine. The theft takes a few seconds, and most thieves are teenagers who steal vulnerable cars for fun or Internet views.
Kia and Hyundai have already released anti-theft patches to prevent the engines from starting, but thieves still break into cars without caring if they were updated.
Authorities complain that the problem resides in the lack of laws with major consequences for teenagers involved in these thefts. The Renton police emphasize that laws must "include accountability for actions," and as long as teenagers escape unpunished, they will continue to do the same thing for fun.
The two carmakers recommend customers to install the anti-theft updates as soon as possible, emphasizing that they work correctly, preventing thieves from starting the engine and driving away in cars that were originally vulnerable to the TikTok hack.
It all started when two kids, one of them aged only 8, called 911 to tell the dispatcher that someone in a red car threatened them with a gun. A patrol car responded to the call, only to discover a 2016 Hyundai Sonata driving erratically.
Upon further checks, they learned that the red Hyundai was reported stolen, so the officers engaged in a chase, asking for air support to follow the vehicle.
The recording is intense, showing the Kia Boys running multiple red lights and nearly crashing into several other vehicles on the road. It's a mystery how they escaped without hitting another car, especially after going through several busy intersections, and even the police are amazed nobody was injured.
The stolen car eventually crashed into a pole at Southcenter Mall, and the four Kia Boys inside tried to escape on foot. It didn't take long after the police caught two of them, with the other two identified hours later.
The two teenagers were arrested but were eventually… released, with the police complaining to the local media that "we have laws, but laws without consequences just end up being suggestions." Police still struggle to find a way to charge the two teens and arrest the other two.
The Kia Boys trend started two years ago when someone shared on TikTok a way to steal certain Hyundai and Kia cars lacking immobilizers. The method requires only a USB cable, and thieves can start the engine by ripping off the steering wheel column. Thieves typically break a car window to get inside and use the USB cable to turn on the engine. The theft takes a few seconds, and most thieves are teenagers who steal vulnerable cars for fun or Internet views.
Kia and Hyundai have already released anti-theft patches to prevent the engines from starting, but thieves still break into cars without caring if they were updated.
Authorities complain that the problem resides in the lack of laws with major consequences for teenagers involved in these thefts. The Renton police emphasize that laws must "include accountability for actions," and as long as teenagers escape unpunished, they will continue to do the same thing for fun.
The two carmakers recommend customers to install the anti-theft updates as soon as possible, emphasizing that they work correctly, preventing thieves from starting the engine and driving away in cars that were originally vulnerable to the TikTok hack.
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