Maryland teen released just hours after arrest for breaking into 121 cars—17 break-ins happened next day

According to the New York Post, the 16-year-old male was arrested by Laurel Police last week after there had been dozens of calls reporting break-ins on May 4. The reported break-ins were all around Laurel County, as well as some in Prince George's County, as well as Howard County.

Footage from various surveillance cameras was able to capture three teenagers going around the streets, smashing windows in order to take anything of value from the vehicles.

Laurel Police Chief Russ Hamill told reporters, “They were just simply going through neighborhoods and targets of opportunity, breaking into cars. If there was something in there, they’d steal. If there was nothing in there, they’d move to another car."

Police went to the home of one of the teenagers captured on video breaking into the cars, where they found credit cards, 20 car keys, as well as other valuables. Police were then able to "link him to all 121 events throughout the region,” Hamill said in a news conference.

The teenager, however, did not have anything else on his criminal record, was said not to be a flight risk, and he was let go because the break-ins only amounted to "lower-level crime."

“I would offer well over 100 cases in one night, gives you a pretty good record," Hamill said. "These were not violent crimes, as if that lessens the impact on those 121 victims.”

“Yes, five hours after we were at his house, he was released back into the community, back into the environment that allowed him to be out roaming the streets in all of these counties, late at night and in the early morning, doing these crimes to begin with,” the police chief said.

The next day in the same region, there was a slew of more car break-ins. Hamill added in the conference, “We’re not gonna lay every theft from auto in the region on him and his group, but I will note we had 17 the next night."

Two other teens have been linked to the break-ins as his accomplices for the crimes. Per ABC 7, the 16-year-old faces charges of motor vehicle theft and multiple thefts from automobiles.