CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Although part one crime, the most serious in the criminal code, including violence is down statistically by over thirty percent in both Charlottesville and Albemarle, there are still incidents of youth violence that are grabbing local headlines.

On Tuesday, Charlottesville police officers arrested an Albemarle teenager who is now a suspect in a September shooting that led to a high speed chase that originated in the city limits and then continued for several miles down Scottsville Road in Albemarle County.  The police released to the public that the 18 year old was accompanied by two juveniles in the incident, a 14 year old male and a 15 year old male.

Youth violence with firearms has been an issue of great concern over the last three years, and the University of Virginia Law School just released the findings of a survey of those who perpetrate youth violence, citing fear and social media as factors that contributed to violent behavior.

However, the Charlottesville police are also pointing to firearm larcenies as a major factor in the unprecedented access to firearms among local youth.

The head of the investigation division of the CPD, Captain Tony Newberry, says that irresponsible gun ownership has contributed to the circulation of illegal firearms that are being used in criminal activity.  He indicated that an illegal firearm was found following the high speed chase involving the aforementioned juveniles.

“That case started with a shooting in Charlottesville and ended with a pursuit in Albemarle County, and we have a stolen firearm recovered from this thing from another jurisdiction and that’s something that we’re seeing as a trend,” Newberry told WINA Morning News. “The age of the offenders being much younger than when I first started, its a trend that is ongoing.  The connection between larcenies from vehicles where guns are stolen from vehicles or vehicles are stolen and then used in shootings, those are trends that are continuing to happen.”

“Stolen firearms are a real problem, not having firearms secured properly has become a real problem because we’re seeing stolen firearms used routinely in our shootings.”

While the data shows crime is decreasing, Newberry says those experiencing crime have a different perspective.

“Crime trends are down that’s something across the board we see that,” he said. “The difference is that the coverage, accessibility on social media and 24-7 news, it gives the appearance that crime is rampant but it is down.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t really matter much to someone who has had a shooting in their neighborhood or who has been touched by this stuff.”

Newberry added that part of the problem is disputes between individuals are escalating faster due to factors like social media and ending in disorders and even shootings. That’s why he said CPD is looking for more opportunities to do outreach with youth in the community, so they can get the message out there before they have to be the last line of defense.

“We have a great community engagement team,” he said. “We’re out there doing community walks and things like that but there still is some disconnect when it comes to certain age groups, but that’s growing up and part of that is development.”

You can hear the entirety of the interview with Captain Newberry below: