PEORIA, AZ -- Police arrested a teenage car thief after his cell phone accidentally called 9-1-1 during a burglary last week, a new report shows.
Police Spokesperson Mike Tellef said his department's communication center received the 9-1-1 call early Tuesday.
Although the operator wasn't able to talk with the 16-year-old boy at the other end of the line, that operator was able to overhear someone talk about having broken into cars.
The operator recorded for more than 14 minutes while the suspect was on the line.
At one point, the suspect said, "I had to rip it out of the car. It was bolted down, so I had to rip it out."
The suspect continued, "It took all my energy to get this out of the car."
Using a cell phone tracking system, Tellef said his department was able to track the call to a neighborhood near 91st Avenue and Bell Road.
"We can pinpoint a person down to five or six feet," Tellef said.
When officers arrived, they said they found the 16-year-old suspect with a car stereo in hands.
The 911 recording captured the officer saying, "(Your phone) is making an emergency call. You know that? That's us."
The stereo was returned to the owner, and the Peoria teen was arrested.
He has been released to his family and is facing charges in the Juvenile Court system.