HARTFORD, Mich. – A 12-year-old Michigan boy fired a warning shot before stealing several thousand dollars from a Hartford gas station Wednesday.
The child was taken into custody shortly after the holdup, WWMT reported.
MLive.com obtained surveillance video footage of the armed robbery.
According to police, the armed robbery call came in just before 4 p.m. local time, MLive.com reported.
Lt. Michael Prince, with the Hartford Police Department, told WWMT that the boy pointed the gun at a clerk and demanded money.
The boy then fired a warning shot into the ceiling when the clerk asked if he was serious, prompting the employee to hand over several thousand dollars which the child placed into a backpack before fleeing the Marathon store, he added.
“It flabbergasts me that a young person, broad daylight, no mask, would walk right in the business with other customers, announce an armed robbery, and when he was challenged by the clerk to fire a round into the ceiling,” Prince told the TV station.
According to police, the gun had been taken from a safe owned by the boy’s guardian, MLive.com reported.
The boy was taken to the Allegan County Juvenile Center and is expected to be arraigned Thursday at Juvenile Court in Paw Paw, Prince confirmed to WWMT.
“He pretty much did not lie about anything. He will not give us his exact reason. He said it wasn’t for the money, but he would not tell us. It was recorded on high-definition, three different cameras at the business. I just don’t know what was going on in this young guy’s mind,” Prince said.
