Michigan police took a 12-year-old Hartford boy into custody last week after pulling out a weapon and robbing a gas station, according to CNN.
Police say the young boy took the gun out of a locked cabinet at home, went to a Marathon gas station, and pointed the gun at a clerk while demanding money. When the clerk asked if the boy was serious, he pointed the gun at the ceiling and pulled the trigger.
The clerk then gave the boy a few thousand dollars. He put the money in a backpack and ran off, but law enforcement from several agencies responded within 90 seconds and caught the boy in a nearby parking lot. All of the money and the loaded gun were recovered, and the boy was taken to the juvenile detention center in Allegan County.
Even veteran law enforcement officials were surprised — not only due to the fact that armed robberies aren't common in the small town, but also because of how young the suspect is.
“It flabbergasts me that a young person, broad daylight, no mask, would walk right in the business with other customers, announce an armed robbery,” Lt. Michael Prince of the Hartford Police Department said.
According to Prince, the boy wouldn't give officials his exact reason for robbing the gas station, but he said it wasn't about the money.
“It’s very concerning. The school shootings that we’re seeing every day, the violence we’re seeing in churches. I think the father had good intentions, but I think he learned a valuable lesson that he needs to secure the firearm even better than he did because the young man was able to pry the door open,” Prince said.