WINNIPEG–Police have arrested three teenagers they say were engaged in a "sick game" of driving around in stolen cars and trying to hit joggers.

Police allege the youths, between the ages of 13 and 16, stole a car last Thursday and made repeated runs at joggers along a posh Winnipeg street.

"It looks ... like it was some sort of sick game where you might just want to hit them with the mirrors," Sgt. Doug Safioles said yesterday. "There's no indication ... someone was trying to deliberately run them down."

One man suffered minor injuries, but a 49-year-old man running just a few blocks away sustained serious head injuries and remains in hospital.

Two of the accused have lengthy records for stealing vehicles and were being monitored by the justice system under a special Manitoba program for youths convicted of repeated vehicle thefts, Safioles said.

One teen disappeared three weeks ago after failing to respond to a curfew check, he said.

The youths were arrested Sunday after one allegedly stole five vehicles in one evening. Because of their ages, none of the accused can be identified. They face many charges, including dangerous driving causing bodily harm, theft and failure to comply with a probation order.

Kids who steal vehicles are looking for kicks and often don't care whether someone gets hurt, suggested Safioles, of the police force's stolen auto unit.

"A lot of these kids suffer from intellectual disabilities," he said. "What they lack is a little voice in the back of their head that tells the rest of us at some point that `this is too dangerous and we should stop.'"

The case has led to a political debate over how to crack down on auto theft. Manitoba's Opposition Conservatives want convicted vehicle thieves to be forced to wear electronic ankle bracelets after they are released from custody, so their movements can be monitored.

The NDP government announced yesterday it will temporarily double the cash rewards in the Crime Stoppers program for information about auto thefts that involve injuries.

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