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Milwaukee police have rounded up four robbery crews of mostly juveniles since Sept. 1, Chief Edward Flynn announced Friday.

Of the 18 people arrested, 15 are male and 14 are juveniles, he said. They are believed to be responsible for at least 56 robberies, Flynn said. That number may rise to 100 once the investigations are complete.

Three of the four crews were arrested after police chases. The members of the other crew were taken into custody after an armed robbery.

One suspect alone admitted to stealing some 60 cars and fleeing from police 10 times, Flynn said.

The age-old crime of joy riding has morphed into stealing cars and using them to rob victims who aren't aware of their surroundings, such as those engrossed in their cellphones or wearing earbuds to listen to music, Flynn said.

"The bad news is this has become a fad among a subset among the young adult and juvenile population," he said.

The suspected robbers have used social media to brag, compete and warn each other about where the police are patrolling. They seem to be motivated by a combination of support from their peers and the belief that they will not face substantial consequences, Flynn said. Even being arrested seems to be a source of excitement.

One of the young people arrested told police: "I get to feel like I'm in a video game," the chief said.

Under department rules, officers may not begin a pursuit unless they have probable cause that someone in the car is committing a violent felony or is "a clear and immediate threat to the safety of others." Even when drivers are suspected of serious crimes, police must end a pursuit if the risk to the public is too great.

Since the policy was enacted in 2010, the number of pursuits — and injuries and deaths caused by them — has drastically declined.

In the most recent chase, six teens suspected of several armed robberies were arrested late Thursday after they crashed a stolen car into a light pole.

Officers from District One spotted a car at 10:20p.m. Thursday that matched the description of the vehicle whose occupants had committed an armed robbery in the 2100 block of E. Bradford Ave., according to a police news release.

The car was stolen earlier in the evening from the 2600 block of N. Oakland Ave.

Officers tried to stop the vehicle but it fled. Officers chased after the vehicle, and about six minutes later, the vehicle crashed into a light pole at N. 60th and W. Center streets, police said.

The six teens inside the vehicle ran from the crash but were arrested a short time later.

The suspects are four boys, ages 14, 16 and 17, and two girls, ages 16 and 17. No one was injured in the crash, and police said that during the investigation officers found items taken in two recent east side robberies.

During the news conference Friday, Flynn said he met Thursday with Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm and Chief Judge Jeffrey Kremers about working together to provide an effective combination of sanctions and services for young offenders.

"If there are no sanctions, we're putting them on a path to prison," he said.

Rather than a blanket rule such as strict curfew enforcement, he would like to see wider use of GPS monitoring.

"They hate that," Flynn said. "It keeps them home and us in their lives."