A 15-year-old runaway is in custody after two stolen vehicles were recovered in northwest Austin on Wednesday.

The incident started with the two vehicles being reported stolen within the last week.

The first, a gold Pontiac Grand Prix, was reported stolen from the National Guard Armory on Sunday after a guardsman parked it at the armory and left the keys in it before going out on a weekend drill, according to Austin Police Chief Brian Krueger.

The second vehicle, a 2002 black Jeep Liberty, was taken from Riverland Community College’s east Austin campus late Tuesday.

Then early Wednesday, an officer on routine patrol saw the Jeep Liberty parked on the 1000 block of Fourth Avenue Northwest.

Officers learned the person driving it had been at the Freedom Valu Center, 101 Fourth St. NW,  earlier. Officers observed three black juvenile girls on Freedom surveillance tapes and recognized one as a girl who lived a few blocks away.

Officers went to the residence and interviewed the juveniles. During the interviews, officers observed a Jeep key dangling out of a hole in one girl’s front sweatshirt pocket.

Another of the girls mentioned they’d been driving the Pontiac in recent days, which was parked near the residence.

After several interviews, the 15-year-old girl, who is listed as a runaway from Omaha, Nebraska, was taken into custody and transported to Many Rivers in Rochester.

The case has been forwarded to the Mower County Attorney’s Office for possible charges against the 15-year-old and other juveniles.