Baltimore police arrested a 14-year-old repeat offender for a violent crime spree in Northeast Baltimore on Sunday, June 22.

WJZ learned the teenager was on GPS monitoring at the time of his arrest.

The crime spree

Sherri Stewart has lived on Northbourne Road near Morgan State University for more than 20 years, and it was on her block where Baltimore police say the 14-year-old's crime spree started Sunday at 12:18 a.m. when the teen stole a car here. 

"They should be charged as an adult. I'm sorry," Stewart said. "With a monitor on and a gun? It's getting out of hand. Somebody needs to do something. No matter what, we look out for each other. Yet they come at 3 or 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning when everyone is asleep." 

At 6:47 a.m., police said the teenager is linked to a carjacking in the 5300 block of Perring Parkway, not far from Dutch Village. 

That is the same area where a 14-year-old was placed on GPS monitoring after stealing a car last month and crashing, injuring several people. They found a BB gun and a screwdriver inside the vehicle during that incident.

Later, the teen struck again, robbing a grocery delivery driver at gunpoint in the 1200 block of Woodbourne Avenue near The Alameda.

"Sometimes I blame the parents, but once your child leaves your sight, you don't know what they're going to do," Stewart said. 

New DJS leadership 

It follows the abrupt resignation of Maryland's juvenile services secretary earlier this month. Vincent Schiraldi was under fire for being too lenient on repeat, young, violent offenders. 

He left his position on Friday. 

"I've been under criticism since I started," he told WJZ earlier this month. 

Schiraldi said he recommended his own replacement, Betsy Fox Tolentino. She previously worked with DJS and the immersive violence prevention program Roca.

"His recommendation is a little concerning to me. Her role within his leadership team is also a little bit concerning to me. I would hope that she does not continue down the pathway of some of the policies that Secretary Schiraldi has enacted," Republican Baltimore County Delegate Ryan Nawrocki previously told WJZ Investigates.

Arrests, GPS monitoring 

The city's state's attorney said arrests and charges for juvenile offenders in Baltimore skyrocketed from 303 in 2022 to 1,126 last year.

The 14-year-old involved in Sunday's crime spree was already on GPS monitoring for past offenses.

Last month, police arrested a 15-year-old repeat offender on GPS monitoring for kidnapping and robbing a 12-year-old victim on his way to school in East Baltimore. 

Police said they took the 14-year-old in the Northeast Baltimore crime spree to the Juvenile Justice Center, and he was "charged accordingly."

The commissioner addressed juvenile crime concerns earlier this month after a group of teenagers were arrested with a cache of weapons.