Posted on 01/17/2007 11:09:39 AM PST by rawhide
LAKEWOOD, Wash. — A 9-year-old boy with a history of stealing cars and running away sneaked onto a plane bound for Texas, getting caught after flubbing an airport connection, officials said.
Semaj Booker apparently found a Southwest Airlines boarding card and made it through airport security Tuesday, hopping two separate flights but landing in San Antonio, Texas — short of his Dallas destination, police said.
"The only thing I have to offer on that is that were looking into it," Southwest spokeswoman Beth Harbin said.
The fourth-grader remained Wednesday in juvenile custody in San Antonio. He had been trying to get to his grandfather in Dallas, where he used to live.
The boy was unhappy after his family moved to Lakewood, outside Tacoma. 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 the interchange of Interstate 5 and State Route 512.
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.
Last month he 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.
Booker said she had hoped to soon move her four sons back to Dallas, but Semaj grew tired of waiting.
Semaj was "incredibly motivated to get to Texas," Guttu said. "He doesn't want to live in Washington state."
Booker said her son dislikes the neighborhood where the family lives and is afraid of a sex offender who lives nearby.
"He does not like it here at all," she said.
I feel so safe flying knowing that our government is watching out for us. I guess frisking down old ladies in wheel chairs is too much of a distraction for them to bother watching anything else.
Like no one would question a kid all by himself; with no escort?
Maybe the mother
was trying to send the kid
where this guy came from . . .
Well I can just see the next Southwest Airlines- wanna get away from it all advertisement!!
Bing.
My High School freshman journalism teacher would have ate this guy for lunch! What a crappy story. No by line either.
Dang, girl! You got it before I did!
Glad the kid's dad wasn't named "Dan."
We can look past the illegalities, I think, and give him "creativity" points instead!
I'm with ya. God bless him.
Semaj was "incredibly motivated to get to Texas," Guttu said. "He doesn't want to live in Washington state."Booker said her son dislikes the neighborhood where the family lives and is afraid of a sex offender who lives nearby.
"He does not like it here at all," she said.
Escape from WA ping!
The only reason the cops caught him is because his engine blew.
Put him in NASCAR.
Wanna bet Semaj's mamma's suspected baby daddy is named James?
What did he/she do to you?
HA!
He learned me a hole bunch by the time I gradgeated!
You wouldn't believe how many times I checked my post back to you for spelling and grammar errors.
Now there's a young'n that needs a whoopin.
I wouldn't want to send him after a hickory, though.
LOL! I'd have missed that :-).
Are you sure? Your high school seems to have been a bit weak on grammar.
The parents might have gotten the idea from seeing Nomar Garciaparra on TV (Nomar = Ramon backwards), but Nomar's major league debut was in the summer of 1996, so possibly after Semaj was named.
Or any of the idiots running around named Nevaeh.
I am aware that "Senga" enjoyed a brief vogue across the pond.
Thank God for brevity, says I.
Or Elohssa.
Criminal prodigy ping.
I'd hire this kid in a minute. Born entrepreneur. Most likely the story about the Missouri kids was too muchy for him given the pedophile on his block.
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