COLUMBUS, Ohio — Judge Andy Miller sentenced Tyrell Shute to up to 19.5 years in prison for hitting and killing a 4-year-old boy last summer while driving in a stolen Kia and acknowledged the extent of the problem in the City of Columbus.
“There certainly is an epidemic of these Kia thefts,” Judge Miller said.
Shute was running from police in a stolen Kia in July 2023 when he sped through an apartment complex, striking Yonis Kabiro Said while he was holding the hand of his pregnant mother. The boy was rushed to the hospital by police.
Last year, the attorney for Said’s family, Sam Shamansky, said he was interested in pursuing legal action against Hyundai, the manufacturer of Kia.
“As you well know our city is still relentlessly plagued with these thefts due to the abject reckless behavior of Kia and Hyundai motor corporations,” Shamansky said after the sentencing.
Shamansky said he is still looking into suing Hyundai, which also manufactures Kia, but said it could be a tough legal battle to win.
“Now regrettably there was a recent decision out of the Northern District of Ohio, federal court citing some very troubling Ohio law that absolved or insulates the corporations due to the intervening actions of the thief such as in the case we are pursuing. We are putting all of our best heads to it and we are hopeful that we will be able to find some workaround,” he said. “What we are suggesting is this really isn’t an intervening because this was a continuous foreseeable chain of events put into action by this manufacturer that just couldn’t care less about human life.
In the City of Columbus, there have been an average of 622 car thefts per month in 2024, according to data released by the Columbus Division of Police. In July, of the 635 cars reported stolen, 231 were a Kia or Hyundai.
Shamansky explained he believed Hyundai should be held accountable, due to the cars’ increased susceptibility to being stolen.
“It is a math problem, right? The Honda, the Mercedes or Chevrolet that gets stolen every once in a while it doesn’t create this epidemic of police involvement and chases thus ending in death and that is the difference in our opinion,” he said.
Hyundai and Kia did not respond to requests for comment.
The City of Columbus is also engaged in a lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai along with many other cities across the U.S.