A pre-teen allegedly walked into a Michigan convenience store/gas station on Wednesday afternoon, pulled a gun from his backpack, and pointed it at the clerk in an incident captured on dramatic surveillance video.
“Put the money in the bag,” the boy apparently ordered the clerk in the Hartford, Mich., shop, as he placed the backpack adjacent to the cash register.
When the clerk asked the 12-year-old if he was serious, the latter demonstrated that he apparently meant business by allegedly firing a shot into the ceiling from what is reportedly a 9 mm handgun.
The youngster is now in custody at the nearby Allegan County Juvenile Center, and he is due back in court on Thursday.
The minor reportedly faces charges in Van Buren County Family Court including armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, and discharge of a firearm. Van Buren County, where Hartford is located in the southwestern part of the state, does not have a juvenile lockup.
Jessica, the store clerk, initially thought the whole thing was a practical joke by the kid who had quietly waited his turn in front of the checkout counter.
“He sounded way too calm,” Jessica told CBS Kalamazoo, Mich., affiliate WWMT, News Channel 3. “I seriously thought it was a prank until I heard the gun go off.”
Watch:
“I always thought if I were robbed I’m giving them the money; no amount of money is worth my life,” she explained.
Video seems to show Jessica understandably retrieving a blue bank-deposit bag from a safe, stuffing it into the backpack, and telling the middle schooler to get out.
Cops, including Hartford police chief Tressa Beltran, arrested the boy shortly thereafter without any issues about a block away from the fuel stop.
“According to Hartford Police, the pre-teen got the gun used in the gas station incident from his grandfather’s locked safe. The grandfather, who told police he didn’t know his grandson could access the safe, is the child’s legal guardian,” WWMT added.
In the video, the firearm seems to jam as he is about to leave the store; a shell casing appears to fall to the floor.
Cops have so far been unable to determine a specific motive. “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,” Lt. Mike Prince told ABC Grand Rapids affiliate WZZM. “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.”
Hartford, Michigan, USA. 12 year-old boy robs gas station at gunpoint.
A boy calmly pull a pistol from his backpack, point it at a woman and then fire a shot into the ceiling as he robbed a gas station in southwestern Michigan. pic.twitter.com/2qZWkiYZsR
— Thai Legal Services (@ThaiLegal123) June 4, 2022
“Hartford Police previously told News Channel 3 that the 12-year-old talked about committing an armed robbery at school hours before he was taken into custody,” WWMT recalled.
All suspects are presumed innocent until or unless they are convicted in a court of law of any alleged crimes.
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Robert Jonathan is a staff writer for BizPac Review. He is a longtime writer/editor for news aggregation websites and has also developed content in the legal and financial publishing sectors as well as for online education. He earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law, “a law school the basketball teams can be proud of.”
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26 thoughts on “‘Are you serious?’ Clerk shocked when 12-yr-old boy robs MI gas station, fires warning shot”
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That kid is both stupid and lucky. Had that guy behind him had a weapon, that kid may never have gotten out of the store alive. These kids do not believe that they will have to suffer any serious consequences for such blatantly ignorant behavior.
“He wouldn’t give us an explanation why he did it.” For the “thrill” of it. It’s simple. When kids don’t recognize the consequences of their actions and are not held accountable (seen time and again on all social media and MSM), what source of fear/deterrent exists? The fact that his grandfather is his guardian is a brief insight into what his home-life/situation likely is.
Shut down these video game makers that Promote Violence as Children Entertainment
Gang initiation? Or is it because that’s what all the cool democrat kids are doing these days?
Whatever his reason for doing what he did, it’s gonna be interesting to watch whether bleeding heart liberals will come to his defense because he’s (sniff sniff) “just a little boy” or will they throw him under the bus because he committed a gun crime?
Don’t know about the rest of you but I’m rooting for the bus.
He’s not black, so he will probably end up under the bus.
Predictably, like rap music, it starts in the jungle & eventually crosses the race line.
Put the little monster down. He’s like this at 12, he’ll only get worse.
He is possessed by the devil.
Get him now before he starts breeding
But,but, but, it’s illegal for children to carry firearms!
Enough of this juvenile nonsense. If this punk shot the clerk, she would be as dead as if an adult shot her. Send him away for a long time.
No, this wasn’t a “bad kid” doing s thug robbery, this was obviously a cry for help! ‘Grandpa’ probably isn’t attuned for the needs of a minor!
The kid was obviously doing it to get placed in juvenile. He probably thought this is the only way to get out of his grandpa’s care which wasn’t conducive to ‘growing up’! The emotionless of the boy points to his feeling dead inside. The fact that the gun jammed shows no knowledge of firearms, and could’ve gotten him killed, which it’s obvious that would’ve been OK with him also!
Jail yes, but physiological help is past desperately needed.
Listen Jar Head! A 10 yr old with a gun, bomb, knife, is still a threat! Remember Pol Pot in Cambodia? The United States Federal Government is using psychotropic drugs, suggestive propaganda, depression & despair, thereby raising army of killers!
“BEHOLD A PALE HORSE!”
(1991 Edition)
Sorry, we have to wait till he shoots up a school, or some other unprotected government building! Oh wait, schools are the ONLY unprotected government buildings.
The poor boy needs a hug. /sarc
“Presumed innocent”……he’s on video.
“All suspects are presumed innocent untill…” LMFAO 😂 What is this, Dragnet? This is another example of what a “Speedy trial” should look like. Tomorrow, this thug-wannabe goes in front of a judge. The judge asks the punkass “Is that you?” Sentenced IMMEDIATELY to 50 years. End of story. NEXT??
And then I wake up… LoL
The weapon was in a “locked safe”? There is something not kosher about the incident!!
Does it seem just a bid odd that the Dems….who have NOTHING to show for their mid-term election efforts…..all of a sudden are faced with 4-5 US shootings?…this one allegedly from a “locked safe”…..in order to make SURE there is SOMETHING….(gun control) to offer the voting public in November?..as a topic they can present and also hurt the opposition? I usually don’t think this way, …..but Holy Smokes…. what are the chances for all this to come up so fast and plentiful right at this time?….and here with the gun properly stored…. to take away even that argument against new gun laws?
DimocRATS, the scourge of our nation, are capable of anything!
The fact that this kid showed no emotion is the scary part to me. Sounds like a test run for something bigger and much worse. Hopefully he’ll be watched closely.
Grandpa needs to take that boy out to the woodshed and have a sore butt talk. You mess with weapons you don’t sit comfortably. If these parents/ guardians actually put some fear into these young miscreants BEFORE a crime, they wouldn’t take the risk of doing it. NO child should feel he or she has a right to do whatever they please. The brain isn’t developed so the consequences for poor decisions should be applied to the opposite end of the body. Much like a painful burn from accidentally touching something hot teaches you to be more careful around whatever burned you.
Of course, money was at least part of the motive- the police should not be so naive. The other part- is probably being an a-hole, entitled brat kid who has never faced a consequence in his life. He was looking for kicks. Looking to boost his bad reputation. Maybe even hoping for suicide by police. Whatever the motive was- just lock him up for a long, long time. When he is old enough- put him on a chain gang until he’s 40. Enough is enough as the Dems like to say. This jerk is the product of the left’s bizarre, utopian policies from hell.
Too bad about a shot dead twelve year old. Not nice to hold up a store, and with a gun.
The clerk should have been armed. Shoot first. Ask questions later.
A loaded gun kept in the safe seems like a logical rebuttal — smack between his eyes. He voluntarily abandoned his preteen, “He’s only a child” status the second he pulled the pistol out of his bag. When kids understand they WILL pay with their lives, virtually every time, a powerful deterrent will be established. Sorry — my heart would not bleed for him as he laid dead on the floor.