Tacoma boy who stowed away on flights, and stole car, may avoid prosecution

TACOMA — A 9-year-old boy who admitted on a national television talk show that he took a car, led police on a high-speed chase and talked his way onto two Southwest Airlines flights is in talks with prosecutors about entering a court-monitored diversion program.

In Washington, children his age are presumed not to have the mental capacity to commit crimes, but Semaj Booker was charged Tuesday with second-degree taking a motor vehicle without permission, attempting to elude an officer and driving without a license after his lawyer acknowledged in court that the boy knew taking the car was wrong. A Pierce County Superior Court judge entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf, The News Tribune reported.

Deputy Prosecutor Fred Wist, a juvenile prosecutor, said he has been in extensive talks with Booker's lawyer, Brett Purtzer, about entering the boy in a diversion program that would allow him to avoid a trial and have his record wiped clean.

Authorities say the boy took a neighbor's car Jan. 14 and sped down State Highway 512 with police in pursuit. He eventually crashed when the car's engine blew, according to court records.

The next day, he talked his way onto two Southwest Airlines flights and flew to Texas all by himself. His mother, Sakinah Booker, said her son was unhappy in the Tacoma suburb of Lakewood and wanted to run away. The boy later appeared on the talk show "Dr. Phil" — in violation of a court order — to discuss his antics.