A shocking video shows a 12-year-old child stealing at a petrol station in Michigan and firing a pistol when the astonished clerk asks, "Are you serious? "
After being detained during the brazen, broad daylight robbery at the Marathon gas station in Hartford at 4 pm on Wednesday, the child told the detectives that he didn't do it for the money.
Boy Arrested After Pointing Gun at Petrol Station Clerk
In the footage, the boy could be seen standing in line behind another client at the desk before approaching the worker and demanding the cash. In response, the child drew his rifle, pointed it at the ceiling, and shot a single warning shot. Fear gripped the cashier. He then calmly went out the front door before allegedly fleeing.
Hartford Police Chief Tressa Beltran was on her way back to the police station, a block away from the gas station, when she received the robbery report. According to the police, the chief arrived at the petrol station in 90 seconds, with more policemen coming shortly after.
The boy was captured a few streets away. According to officials, the 12-year-old had gone to school that day and discussed with a classmate which gas station would be the easiest to rob in town, New York Post reported.
The gun used in the crime was also obtained from the boy's grandpa, who is his legal guardian and told investigators he had no idea he had access to the safe.
According to news sources, the gun was secured in a safe, but he was able to acquire access. The youngster left school, went home to change, and then returned to the neighborhood to rob the gas station.
Minor Suspect Used Grandfather's Hidden Fire Arm
The young thief fled with $5,000 in cash, which the shopkeeper had placed in his rucksack. He managed to flee the petrol station but was apprehended by police officers just a few streets away.
He is being housed at the Allegan County Juvenile Center right now. The store clerk stated that she initially assumed it was all a prank. Lisa Riley, who lives nearby, told the publication that she knows the youngster since he shot at her with a BB gun two years ago when she was mowing the grass.
The incident came amid a spike of teenage guys threatening shootings in public places. Just days after the Robb Elementary School tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, a 10-year-old kid was arrested in Florida for threatening a mass massacre, as per The Sun.
The child's legal guardian, the grandpa, informed authorities he had no idea his grandson had access to the safe. The child, a student at Hartford Middle School, is being held in the Allegan County Juvenile Center and will remain there until a hearing later this month.
On Thursday, Hartford Police Chief Tressa Beltran brought him up without incident and charged him with armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, and discharge of a pistol in Van Buren County Family Court, according to Daily Mail.