Boy, 11, leads police on high-speed chase in US

An 11-year-old boy led police in Louisiana on a chase that reached speeds of more than 100mph, leading to charges for him and his parents, who are accused of letting him drive for months.

The chase started at 6.30am on Friday on the Interstate 310 motorway on the outskirts of New Orleans when a state trooper recorded a sport utility vehicle going at 80mph in a 60mph zone, police spokesman Joseph Piglia said.

The trooper turned on his lights and siren and tried to stop the driver, but the boy accelerated, passing several other vehicles on the shoulder and forcing cars off the road, according to state police.

Finally, the boy turned off the interstate and drove to a Burger King restaurant where his mother, Leona Calloway, worked.

State police said the boy was driving home from a hospital after dropping off his disabled father, Rodney Brown, for an appointment. The boy had been driving his father around for six months, authorities said.

Calloway, 32, and Brown, 46, were charged with improper supervision of a minor and allowing an unlicensed minor to drive. Officials booked the boy, who was not identified because of his age, with felony flight from an officer, reckless driving, speeding, passing on the shoulder, improper lane usage and having no driving licence.

Neither the parents nor the boy were jailed, and the child was released to the custody of an aunt, Piglia said.