Victim of violent car theft speaks out about youth crime in Baltimore

Valerie Smith, 66, and her 87-year-old mother sustained injuries after a brutal carjacking by a group of juvenile suspects. The incident in Pikesville underscores the alarming rise in juvenile crime across the city.

“I would say they were probably teenagers, maybe between 16 and 18,” Smith said. According to her, one of the suspects pointed a gun at her and a scuffle ensued. When she resisted, another suspect approached and pulled her away from the first attacker. In a desperate attempt to help, Smith's elderly mother rushed to intervene.

This car theft comes amid a significant increase in juvenile crime. Recent statistics from the Baltimore City District Attorney's Office show a staggering 208% increase in juvenile crime over the past three years. In 2024 alone, as of July 15, the District Attorney's Office has prosecuted 590 juvenile criminal cases. Of those, 212 were related to car thefts or auto thefts, 246 were for robbery, and 58 were for firearms offenses. This represents a dramatic increase from 2022, when only 191 juvenile criminal cases were prosecuted.

With the crime crisis growing, many citizens are calling for stricter measures to combat juvenile delinquency. A comprehensive juvenile delinquency law passed during this year's legislative session expands the jurisdiction of the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS). Starting November 1, children as young as 10 can be charged under the new law.

It will be up to the DJS and its secretary, Vincent Schiraldi, to enforce these laws. We have pressed Mr. Schiraldi on this issue before. He says, “This administration supports juvenile delinquency legislation. We need a balanced approach. We help kids get their lives together, but we also hold them accountable. I'm 100% behind the governor on this.”

The handling of juvenile cases further complicates the problem. A spokesperson for the Department of Youth Services revealed that an outdated email address used for seven years resulted in more than 100 juvenile cases never being forwarded from Baltimore police to the Department of Youth Services. The problem appears to be unique to Baltimore City, and it remains unclear how many of the missing cases involve misdemeanors or felonies.

As the city grapples with the rise in juvenile crime, victims like Valerie Smith and her mother wait for the protection they deserve. Looking back on the ordeal, Smith said, “There should be consequences for what they did to my mother. For me too, but even more so for her.”