12-year-old was driving stolen SUV — with a gun and 4 passengers, New Mexico cops say

A 12-year-old boy was stopped while driving a stolen SUV in New Mexico, and a gun was tossed out of the vehicle during the pursuit, the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department reports.

The boy’s identity has not been released, but he had an outstanding warrant for his arrest at the time, the department said.

Bullets for the handgun were allegedly found in his pocket.

It happened around noon Sunday in the the unincorporated Doña Ana community just north of Las Cruces. The area is in south central New Mexico, not far from the Texas border.

Multiple 911 callers reported seeing “what appeared to be a juvenile male driving an SUV type vehicle recklessly,” officials said.

“Within an hour, continued reports to central dispatch indicated the driver had picked up four passengers,” officials said.

“Deputies ... attempted to stop the driver to no avail. With the assistance of Las Cruces Police Department and State Police, the driver and three of the four passengers were detained.”

Doña Ana County Sheriff Sergeant Dason Allen told KFOX14/CBS4 the four passengers were “younger boys.”

The Chevy Trailblazer was driving in the wrong direction at one point during the chase and collided “head-on” with another driver at one point, according to the Las Cruces Sun News. The other driver was hospitalized.

The discovery of bullets in the boy’s possession prompted a search for a gun, which was found nearby, the department said.

It was later that investigators learned the SUV had been reported stolen, officials said.

“The driver was booked at the DACDC on an outstanding warrant as well as two other serious charges,” officials said.

The outstanding felony warrant was “for conspiracy to commit auto burglary,” the Las Cruces Sun News reported.