A 12-year-old is in custody after he allegedly robbed a Michigan gas station with his grandfather’s gun, and fired a warning shot into the ceiling, police said.
The boy reportedly walked into a gas station in the town of Hartford around 4pm on Wednesday, and stood in line behind another customer before pulling out a 9mm handgun, according to a police statement.
The store’s surveillance cameras captured the armed robbery, and showed the 12-year-old pulling the firearm from a black bag and pointing it in the direction of the clerk.
The clerk is heard responding: “Are you serious?” Moments later, the boy aims the gun at the ceiling and fires a shot.
The clerk then appears to grab a bag of money and hands it to him across the counter, while tell him to “Get out”.
A 911 call was made soon afterwards, and police quickly responded to the scene. Hartford Police Chief Tressa Beltran told WZZM 13 that she subsequently located the boy behind some buildings about a block and a half away from the gas station.
The 12-year-old was arrested without incident and had been placed in the Allegan County Juvenile Center after he was deemed a public safety risk, police told News Channel3.
The boy, who has not been identified because he is a minor, has been charged with six felonies, including armed robbery, discharge of a firearm, and assault with a dangerous weapon.
The Independent has reached out to the Hartford Police Department for comment.
Hartford Lt Mike Prince told WZZM 13 that the 12-year-old allegedly talked with classmates about which gas station in the area would be the least secure.
The gun used in the robbery belongs to the boy’s grandfather, who he lives with and is his legal guardian, according to Lt Prince. He had reportedly retrieved the firearm from his grandfather’s safe, where it was loaded with two magazines.
Hartford Police confirmed to News Channel 13 that the grandfather was unaware the child could access the safe.
“Every day I’m seeing something new at this job. I’ve been a full-time police officer for 38 years. What really flabbergasted me is that he showed no emotion,” Lt Prince told WZZM 13.
“He told us he didn’t do it for the money. He said he would’ve thrown the money into the sewer. He wouldn’t give us an explanation why he did it.”
