BOYKINS—A 17-year-old boy has been charged with grand larceny and hit-and-run following a brief manhunt that ended when he returned to the wrecked vehicle that police say he stole from in front of the Boykins Post Office around dinnertime Friday night.

Police would not release the youth’s name, but they said he was identified by witnesses when he returned to the scene of the crash while they were conducting their investigation.

According to Detective Cpl. Richard Morris, the teen hopped in the parked car and sped off from the post office, smashing into another parked, unoccupied vehicle before driving south down Route 35.

Before he could even get outside the town limits, the teen smashed into a tree and fled the scene on foot, Morris said.

A lieutenant and three deputies from the Southampton Sheriff’s Office, along with a tracking dog, joined Boykins Town Sgt. Hank Fuller in the search and investigation.

While they were at the scene of the second wreck, Morris said, the suspect returned, and witnesses alerted police to his presence.