A Runaway Situation in Seattle

Semaj had somehow found a loophole -- in federal law and in the regulations of Southwest Airlines.

Federal law does not require children under 16 to have identification when boarding an aircraft, so he did not have to produce any ID other than a boarding pass when going through security.

And Southwest Airlines gave him the boarding pass, it said in a statement, after "the young man presented himself as a 12-year-old to our ticket counter saying that his mother was already in the boarding area."

The airlines and federal officials do not yet know how Semaj managed to find the name of an actual passenger on the flight. They say they are investigating the entire incident.

It was while in transit in Texas that Semaj ran out of loopholes.

Trying to change planes in San Antonio for a flight to Dallas, he could not produce information that matched a reservation. Southwest Airlines said the boy could not give them the name of an adult who knew that he was supposed to be on the flight.

Police took the boy away to a juvenile detention hall. They soon found his name on a missing persons national database and called police in suburban Lakewood.

At the Lakewood Police Department, Lt. David Guttu said that the boy's mother is arranging for her father or sister in Dallas to go to San Antonio to fetch the boy.

He has been charged in Lakewood with two felonies connected to the high-speed, stolen-car chase. But the local prosecutor has decided not to issue a warrant for his arrest or seek extradition.

"As long as we know he is in a safe place, we can work on the criminal charges later," Guttu said.