DAYTONA BEACH — A car thief was arrested for a fourth time in six weeks, the latest coming after he cut off his ankle monitor and got into another stolen car. Police call him flashy, with a lot of attitude. Plus there's this: He's the age of a fourth-grader.

Juveniles stealing cars isn't unusual in Daytona Beach, but arresting someone as young as 10 for multiple thefts is almost unheard of, Daytona Beach police said Thursday.

When the young offender was caught Wednesday after removing his ankle monitor, he was with older boys, ages 15-16 years old, said Capt. Jennifer Krosschell. Teenagers don't usually hang out with kids young enough to be in the fourth grade, but they keep letting him participate in their criminal activities, she said.

"He even looks like a 10-year-old," Krosschell said. "When we (seized) the car he had stolen, the driver's seat was pushed up to the steering wheel."

The News-Journal isn't publishing the name of the Daytona Beach boy because of his age. Efforts to reach his parents Thursday were unsuccessful.

Sgt. Tim Ehrenkaufer has investigated the child since his first arrest and has noticed a brashness that isn't common among 10-year-old boys.

"He has a look-at-me attitude," Ehrenkaufer said. "He's flashy."

The first time he was arrested was in June, when he stole a car and parked it in the lot outside Target, 2380 W. International Speedway Blvd. Police discovered the car through video surveillance and arrested the suspect while he was still in the store, Krosschell said.

He's been linked to two other car thefts since then, including one from the lot at Azza Motors on Mason Avenue. He was one of at least six young suspects who stole vehicles from that location, according to police. Detectives said they discovered another seven sets of car keys stolen from that same business.

"The vehicles were taken all over the city," Krosschell said. "We looked at video surveillance and found out where they were stolen from and where they were dumped off.

"I think this is becoming a trend," she continued. "We saw other (juveniles) on the video that we haven't been able to identify and they appear just as young."

The 10-year-old suspect was arrested Tuesday for the Azza Motors car theft and an ankle monitor was placed on him, according to police. Not more than six hours later, he had cut off the ankle monitor and again got mixed up with some fellow juvenile car thieves, Ehrenkaufer said.