Three teen boys were released to their parents Thursday after an attempted auto theft in Mission Valley, police said.
The boys were interrupted by the San Diego Police Department in the process of stealing a Kia vehicle at 2:40 a.m., according to Lt. Dan Meyer.
Officers surprised them as they started the car, but they backed into the car parked behind them. The three suspects jumped out of the car and ran, but officers caught them less than 50 yards away.
While being questioned by the officers, someone mentioned the “Kia Challenge” and all three boys began to smile or laugh. The challenge involves teens taking videos of themselves breaking into Kias and stealing the cars, then posting the video to social media.
