17-year-old fugitive steals police car while handcuffed, Missouri police say

A juvenile fugitive is wanted by Missouri police after she managed to steal a patrol car while handcuffed in the back seat.

Authorities say a 17-year-old girl was arrested early Saturday morning after police were called to a "disturbance involving juveniles" in a suburb about 20 miles northwest of St. Louis.

The girl "was properly handcuffed and seat belted in the back seat of the patrol car" when the arresting officer stepped a few feet away from the vehicle to continue the investigation of the incident, the Florissant Police Department said in a Facebook post.

While the officer was away, the juvenile somehow managed to manipulate the handcuffs to the front of her body. She proceeded to release the seat belt, climb into the driver's seat, and drive away, police said.

The department clarified that this patrol car was not equipped with a partition separating the front seats from the back seats.

"Assisting officers on the scene of the original call gave chase of the stolen patrol car but lost sight of the vehicle almost immediately," the police department said.

Minutes later the patrol car was found wrecked but the girl was missing. The vehicle had crashed into another vehicle, authorities said.

There were no injuries reported.

Police said that the juvenile fugitive was last seen running away from the collision. Her identity is known to authorities and a search for her is underway.

"When we have more information, we will provide it," the department said.