13 Year-Old Accused of Stealing Car

He's not old enough to drive a car. But Memphis Police say that didn't stop a 13 year-old boy from stealing one right off a dealership lot! The accused car thief in big trouble after crashing into a Memphis Police officer. Investigators say the teenager's joyride ended when he hit the patrolman, on Perkins near Quince. He hit the cop, not the cruiser. Officers cuffed the kid and tonight they're searching for his parents.

While Eric Dawson shopped for a new car, Investigators say a 13 year-old stole one at the dealership across the street. Employees at Chuck Hutton Dodge tell us the boy had been canvassing the area for about an hour before he was asked to leave. Investigators say on his way out, the teen grabbed the keys to a 2008 Dodge Magnum - and went for a joyride, hitting the road, and in the process hitting a police officer, who tried to stop him. Investigators say the joyride ended when the 13 year-old hit a Pontiac Grand Prix with three people inside.

Carl Carr works at the Ford Dealership across the street. While the age of the thief comes as a surprise, the crime itself doesn't. Carr believes the teen is the same guy he spotted earlier in the day. "I saw him this morning, he was walking around the lot with a shirt off. We're most definitely glad we got him off our lot because he looked suspicious then, so I just asked him to leave the premise."

As Eric Dawson drives off the lot, legally, he says driving a car was the furthest thing from his mind at age 13. "The biggest car I thought about at 13 was probably one the size of a matchbox car or a little remote car...nothing more substantial than that."

No one was seriously hurt in the crash. The teen was treated at LeBonheur for minor scrapes and is in police custody.