Deputies: 16-year-old boy killed in crash after sneaking out of parents’ house, driving without a license

A 16-year-old boy died after sneaking out of his parents’ house, driving without a license and crashing his car in Latah Valley, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

Just before 8:30 a.m., deputies arrived at the 8100 block of South Oak Road where a vehicle had crashed through a fence and come to rest in a field, according to a sheriff’s office news release.

Inside the car they found the boy, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle. He was pronounced dead on scene by medical personnel.

Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit Investigators arrived on scene to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.

The young unlicensed driver took his parents’ car without their permission sometime Tuesday night, the Sheriff’s Office said. His parents discovered their son and car were gone at about 12:30 a.m. and reported it to the police.

The Sheriff’s Office did not identify the driver. Investigators said they believe speed and inexperience were factors in the crash.