It was a late-night joyride that thankfully ended without anyone getting seriously hurt.
Two brothers, ages 6 and 3, took their parents’ car for a spin late Wednesday night on the Malaysian island of Langkawi, where they were picked up by local police after losing control and crashing into a lamppost.
The apparent reason for the brothers’ late-night joyride? They were heading to the shops to buy a new toy car.
Langkawi police chief Shariman Ashari said the car they were driving, a silver Toyota Vios, had attracted the attention of other drivers who gave chase because they assumed the driver had been “drunk.”
He said the boys had sneaked out of their home while their “mother was in the bathroom and father was asleep” and taken the vehicle. They had travelled about 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) before the crash, which damaged the car’s bonnet, Shariman added.
“The driver was a minor aged six, who was driving a passenger – his brother, aged three. The crash occurred when the car, travelling from Ulu Melaka towards Kampung Nyior Chabang, lost control and crashed into a lamppost near Kampung Titi Chanwang,” Shariman said.
A 95-second video clip that has gone viral on Facebook appears to show the boys sitting on the driver’s seat, wearing casual shirts and red pants.
They can be heard telling passers-by that they want to go to a toy store to buy a model car. “Mama is at home and we are going to the store,” the elder boy says in Malay. “We want to buy a black car,” the younger one adds.
Police said the elder boy suffered a cut to his chin while his brother was not injured. They have not named either child.
They said the case is being investigated under Section 43 of the Road Transport Act 1987 for reckless driving.
