The boy grabbed the keys from an unlocked drawer in the family's apartment near central Hong Kong, revved the engine and drove off in the two-door car on Monday, the South China Morning Post said. He hit a vehicle in the car park but continued driving the car — for which his businessman father paid 1.6 million Hong Kong dollars ($206,000) in 2009 — for another 300 meters down a busy road before he stopped and a passer-by called the police.
"Police arrested the 10-year-old for driving without a license and taking a conveyance without authority under the theft ordinance," a police spokeswoman said, adding that the boy has been released on police bail. The boy is required to report back to the police station later this month.
The offense carries a maximum punishment of seven years' imprisonment and a fine but a police source told the Post that he was unlikely to be charged because of his age.
