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Six-year-old drives family car to school, claims videogames taught him how photo

Another day, another "games made me do it" excuse. Fortunately, this one is actually pretty funny. A six-year-old Virginia boy was so intent on getting to school one morning that, after missing the school bus, he decided to help himself to the family sedan and drive there.

Unfortunately, he didn't make it to school on time, crashing the car instead. He only suffered minor injuries, and was even able to get to school, escorted there by authorities after a quick hospital evaluation. His parents were charged with child endangerment, and he and his brother are now in protective custody. 

The unnamed boy racer pulled off at least two 90 degree turns, passed several cars and ran off the two-way rural road a number of times before an embankment and utility pole put an end to his shenanigans. It is believed that he picked up a 2X Score Modifier but failed to achieve any Takedowns.

The boy claims he learned to drive playing Grand Theft Auto and Monster Truck Jam. Great to see that his parents let him play GTA, but I feel a bit cheated. I've been playing videogames for longer than he's been alive, and I can't drive at all. 

"This really is a story of miracles," said Sherrif Chuck Wilkins. "The Lord was with him, along with everybody else on the highway." 

The Lord has been charged with aiding and abetting a minor in a stolen vehicle.


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46 comments | showing # 1 to 46

CALkulon's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 09:24
CALkulon
...six...gta...wuh?

Sounds like his Kudos would've been pretty good though.
CoRnJuLiOx's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 09:29
CoRnJuLiOx
SIX YEARS OLD and already playing GTA?
FinalFist's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 09:31
FinalFist
Ohhhh, that is quite droll. Good reporting, good reporting, chap.
Junta Baill's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 09:31
Junta Baill
LOL ... omg that is the funniest article ever!
blehman's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 09:32
blehman
Wow, great parenting there guys.

And "The Lord has been charged with aiding and abetting a minor in a stolen vehicle." kinda made me lol, just a lil bit.
masterninja's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 09:33
masterninja
Well thankfully it wasn't mario kart or he would try throwing turtle shells out the window...
Generic Dude's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 09:34
Generic Dude
At least he was trying to get TO school.
SephirothX's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 09:40
SephirothX
If this turns into another excuse to bash video games I'm going to puke. Video games didnt give the kid access to the parents keys and car nor did video games let a six year old buy a 17+ level game!
zombiekiller13's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 09:44
zombiekiller13
6-years old and he's playing GTA. He's also left home alone to catch the bus (I'm guessing, since there is no mention of the parents offering to drive him to school), and has access to the keys to the family minivan.

...

...

Glad he and his brother were removed from their parents.
Druid 01's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 09:47
Druid 01
wow i just heard this story on my local philly radio station like 45 minutes ago, they didn't mention the video games aspect so i wasn't expecting to see it here too. lol
Chicken008's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 09:48
Chicken008
6? Fake!
LukienAkeela's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 09:50
LukienAkeela
Hey now, let's put a positive spin on this thing. This could be the perfect example of how videogames and gov't education can coexist peacefully. That is some serious dedication to still make to school. Or maybe the kid was lying and really wanted to pick up hookers.
J03yyz's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 09:52
J03yyz
Jim - your closing statement is amazing.
Sharpless's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 09:52
Sharpless
Well, it obviously didn't do a very good job of teaching him to drive.
Brando's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 09:57
Brando
Obviously he wasn't playing GTA4, the cars handle terribly in that game. If we could master that, that im sure he would have made it to school without crashing to much.
Corak's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 10:15
Corak
@brando

Maybe playing GTA was the reason he crashed. If he thought the driving there is how the car would handle that might have caused the crash. Maybe next time his parents can get him Turismo or Project Gotham, then he would be able to make it to school on time and not crash. Also they'd be seen as better parents, because if true, letting a 6 year old play GTA is fucking awful.
Mxyzptlk's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 10:17
Mxyzptlk
@ zombiekiller13: Since it happened in my state, it's been on the news a lot. Apparently he "couldn't wake his mother up" to get her to drive him to school, so he helped himself. From everything I've heard on the story, it sounds like mom enjoys the booze quite a bit.
mistic's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 10:19
mistic
Well it sounds funny from a 6 year old, but I do actually notice that I get to know the Nordschleife a lot better for driving it in real life by practicing it in games :-)

When I plan a trip there, I drive at least 2 times a day in the month before that and when I get there I really notice that I know the track better then some of my "racingfriends" that don't practice it in games :-)

Luckily with my G25 and GTR-Evolution, the track and cars feel a lot more realistic then they are in Forza :-)
shawn is boring's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 10:27
shawn is boring
I'm so sick of this Lord Character corrupting our youth
SnakeDude4Life's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 10:28
SnakeDude4Life
From We are respectable negroes:

I have to ask: is this a white ign't or a black ign't? What do the clues tell us? I vote PWT aka Caucasian sub-human. Why? Let me share my inductive reasoning:

1. There was no interview or picture of the family. White folk tend to hide their shame, while ign'ts revel in it and grant interviews;

2. The child is driving a 2005 Taurus. This is a rather pedestrian vehicle. The fact that the car is only 3 years old implies it was purchased new. Ign'ts lease the most current SUV available and then have it repossessed within a year;

3. The child was desperate to go to school. He didn't drive around the 'hood. He knew that school was a good place because it had phys ed and breakfast. White ign't children know the value of an education;

4. The mother fell asleep and both kids were taken by child protective services. I propose that mom was tweaking on meth, the State found a house in utter disrepair, and it is in rural Virginia. These factors equal meth country. And, mom is white because ign'ts are not doing meth...yet;

5. Mom was named Jacqulyn and this could be a curve ball. Yes, the name is sufficiently ign't and "creative," but to my ear it screams more Caucasian cave dweller/PWT, i.e. sort of like Daisy or Tripp or Bristol, than black ign't. I could be wrong, perhaps this is a black ign't married to a PWT family? My, the progress brought by the age of Obama;

What do you, my respectable negro friends and allies, think? Is this an ign't family, a PWT family, or something all together different? What is the logic governing your conclusion?
MadBeagle01's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 11:39
MadBeagle01
I'm glad that some people are actually upset by this story. Last year when another preteen took his parents' car to drive to a game store in the middle of the night (and hit several other cars including a police vehicle), many posters seemed to think the kid was cool.
smang's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 11:40
smang
"It is believed that he picked up a 2X Score Modifier but failed to achieve any Takedowns."

the lolcano has errupted yo.
fetusmilk's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 11:46
fetusmilk
i loved the "no takedowns" part.
NihonTiger90's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 11:48
NihonTiger90
Old news. I put this in our newspaper yesterday. XD
wardrox's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 11:51
wardrox
That kid is such a pro.
mix's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 11:56
mix
"The Lord has been charged with aiding and abetting a minor in a stolen vehicle"

Holy shit did I laugh at that!!!
Mr Wrighty 987's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 11:58
Mr Wrighty 987
fuck this kid is 6 and can drive and heres me 24 and cant. well thats me down the shops tomorrow for Monster Truck Jam
The-Excel's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 11:59
The-Excel
I live in Virginia. I don't find this story out of the ordinary at all.
F Whipple's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 12:18
F Whipple
What kind of a parent lets their six-year-old play GTA?
TrailerParkJesus's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 12:37
TrailerParkJesus
I knew the Lord had something to do with this. winner
Slique's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 12:44
Slique
I always knew that Lord was a crafty one.
SakuChan's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 12:55
SakuChan
HAHAHA wtf.
Dexter345's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 13:06
Dexter345
Suck that, Lord.
TheBigFeel's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 13:08
TheBigFeel
I love you Jim. Just.. don't get any ideas.
Ragewaar's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 13:51
Ragewaar
"The Lord has been charged with aiding and abetting a minor in a stolen vehicle." - I LOL'd
atastysammich's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 14:24
atastysammich
The surprise punchline got me. Well-played.
Holyetheline's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 14:56
Holyetheline
It makes sense that he and his brother are now in protective custody now.
RonBurgandy2010's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 15:52
RonBurgandy2010
Why are the kids in protective custody? The parents had nothing to do with anything! Besides, I know a couple of people who were playing M-games by age 6, and they made it this far in life OK.
elsiluro's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 16:53
elsiluro
As a couple of other posters noted, the kids are probably in protective custody because if a 6 year old can get a hold of a car without being noticed, he was probably either alone, or not being paid attention to, both of which point to a neglectful household, not exactly a safe environment. I'm sure they are in protective custody temporarily, while the police investigate whether it's safe to return to kids to the household.
pascuz46's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 17:43
pascuz46
Yeah when I was six pretty sure I never played video games, my form of fun at that age was digging holes with my friend outside. GTA taught this kid how to drive? Im sure he didnt learn anything at all when he was sitting in the front seat watching his mommy and daddy driving. But he's six, so why the hell was he playing GTA!?
ZekeThePlumber's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 18:31
ZekeThePlumber
Video games teach kids to go to school by any means possible. Ban this sick filth.
RAB's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 18:45
RAB
that last line was fucking genius

thanks for that
007's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/07/2009 20:53
007
Haha oh man, way to make a serious situation sound fucking hilarious.

I loled. Too hard.
Necros's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/08/2009 01:25
Necros
I love your last line and your image. Seriously.
ajaxender's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/08/2009 01:46
ajaxender
Well, at least this proves that games dont really teach you how to drive :P.
Uniquenamehere's Avatar - Comment posted on 01/08/2009 07:20
Uniquenamehere
Im surprised your all surprised his allowed to play gta, my first online match playing duke nukem 3d am playing with a six year old and also get shouted at by another person in the room for swearing with the kid in the room WTF.
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