ALBANY — He's only 12 years old, but in the last four months a Pine Hills fifth-grader has built a rap sheet to rival a career criminal.

A boy arrested after city cops spotted him bolting from a stolen car early Tuesday at the intersection of Central and North Lake avenues is the same child who stole cash from a Lark Street frame shop and then two weeks later stole a sedan and took it for a 10-mile, two-county joy ride on Interstate 90, an official familiar with the incidents said.

According to police, the boy, who's about 5 foot 4 and 125 pounds, was among a group of five boys seen running from another stolen car at 4:45 a.m. Tuesday.

A Manning Boulevard woman called police at 4:15 a.m. to complain about a white car with an unusually loud muffler roaring outside of her home, Officer Steve Smith said. The woman told police that several teens hopped out of the car near 14 N. Manning Blvd., vandalizing and trying to break into other vehicles, the police spokesman said.

Minutes after the youths got back into the car, a patrol officer spotted them turning right off Quail Street and onto Central Avenue, Smith said.

While the officer was signaling for the car to pull over, the youths stopped just before coming to North Lake Avenue and ran away, leaving the stolen car in drive, Smith said. The officer had to jump inside and put the car in park as it rolled into the street.

"If he didn't have to jump into the car, he might have been able to stop a few of them," Smith said.

The 12-year-old was arrested when he was found a half-hour later.

A Capitaland Taxi driver who saw the incident the woman reported identified the boy as one of suspects, Smith said.

The child was charged with a felony count of criminal possession of stolen property.

Smith said police are still searching for the other youths. He would not reveal the identity of the boy or discuss his alleged role in the earlier incidents.

The boy was 11 at the time of his other arrests.

On Feb. 10, the boy was charged with felony criminal possession of stolen property by East Greenbush police and grand larceny by Albany police for stealing a 1996 Mercury Grand Marquis.

In that case, the car keys were in the cup holder and the car doors were unlocked, police said. The boy drove the 15-foot-long sedan from Quail Street, onto I-90 and over the Patroon Island Bridge before he was stopped by an East Greenbush police sergeant, police said.

The boy slouched in his seat after he was pulled over. The officer, fearing the driver was reaching for a weapon, called for backup. Police, some of whom had their hands on their guns, ready to draw, swarmed the car before the boy opened the door.

On Jan. 28, the boy was charged with breaking into Alacrity Frame Shop at 215 Lark St.

Brian Shea, the store's owner, said the boy befriended him over a period of several weeks by hanging out in the store after school.

One day, the boy unlocked the stores windows and then waited with Shea until the store closed. After leaving with Shea, the boy went back to the store, pried open a window, squeezed through and stole $240 from the register, police said. The boy was arrested on felony burglary charges a few days later when an officer spotted him trying to break into cars in Center Square, police said.

All of his cases will be handled in Family Court.

An adult could face more than 20 years in prison combined for the crimes the boy is charged with in Family Court.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, there were 1,906,600 juvenile arrests in the country in 2009. Of those arrests, 317,000 were for larceny or theft.

"I don't know where the problem lies," Smith said. "Whether it's the schools, the homes, the parents."

After Tuesday's arrest, the child was released to his mother.

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