CENTRAL - Three juveniles were arrested after leading police on a high-speed chase late Saturday night, and three more suspects are still on the run.

According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, an officer found a stolen vehicle shortly after 11 p.m. and called for backup. As the officer was making the call, the vehicle sped off, prompting the chase.

"Last night after 11 o'clock, my officers along with the sheriff's office responded to an assistance call from the Baton Rouge Police, they were pursuing a stolen vehicle," said Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran. 

The pursuit started in Baton Rouge near the intersection of South 17th and Government Streets. The six suspects then fled from Plank Road to Hooper Road. The vehicle eventually made it to Blackwater Road, near Hooper Road in Central, before the group got out and ran off.

"South Blackwater is a dead end, and ends at the river, they stopped just close to going in the Comite River," said Corcoran

Officers were able to catch up with three of the suspects, aged 15, 16 and 18.

One escaped from custody, sending police on another chase around 2 a.m. That chase didn't start until after a concerned resident called the department, Corcoran explained.

"One of our residents, someone was knocking on their front door, and it was one of the suspects." 

The suspect, then ran across Hooper Road into the Blackwater Conservation Center, where enforcement searched for him with the help of K-9 units. 

All three juvenile suspects were charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Corcoran explains a growing concern of his is the way these juvenile cases are being handled. 

"They've changed the laws to where a seventeen year old goes to juvenile detention, they need to be in adult jail, not juvenile jail."

Around 450 youth have been arrested for violent crimes just this year. It's prompted District Attorney Hillar Moore to address issues with the juvenile court system.

"I believe personally our juvenile system is antiquated," said Moore. "We have challenges trying juveniles as an adult, looking at their size, looking how they're dressed for court, and trying to explain to a jury that this is a dangerous person."

Until concerning rates in juvenile crime start to decrease, Chief Corcoran has one message for locals.

"Just watch, you've got to watch, especially this time of year, they're looking for victims."

The other three suspects remain at large as of Sunday afternoon.