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A 14-year-old boy has been arrested and another suspect remains at large in connection with an armed robbery at a Boston lemonade stand, authorities said.
The Boston Police Department (BPD) announced that two suspects, believed to be ages 14 and 11, were involved in an armed robbery at a lemonade stand last week. Following news of the robbery, the South Boston community, including some elected officials, expressed support for the young victims.
Here’s what you need to know about the heist and how the community is reacting.
The young victim says he was “a little irritated.”
According to BPD, officers responded to a report of an armed robbery at a lemonade stand on June 10 at approximately 4:44 p.m. ET, according to a police report obtained by USA TODAY.
Upon arrival, officers spoke with the two children who were operating the stand. CBS News identified them as 12-year-old David Byrne and his 11-year-old sister Juliette.
The two suspects walked past the lemonade stand several times and stopped to ask Byrne’s children if they accepted Apple Pay, according to the police report. Before the suspects could answer, they grabbed a safe containing about $50, fired a gun and fled.
“He walked up to us and said, ‘I might have to take the box,’ grabbed the box with one hand, and then showed us the gun,” David Byrne told CBS News Boston.
She added, “My sister raised her hand and I just said, “You can take it.” But then we were 12 and 11, so it kind of annoyed me, but you should never do that. ”
BPD said in a news release that the arrested suspects are expected to be arraigned in Boston Juvenile Court on multiple charges, including delinquency, armed robbery and illegal possession of a firearm. The suspect has not been identified because he is a minor.
Community meeting support
“It’s pretty disgusting. These are young kids,” Byrne’s father, Dave, told CBS News after the robbery. “It was in the middle of broad daylight.”
The lemonade stand reopened the next day, according to CBS News. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu stopped by to cheer on David and Juliet, and Boston City Councilman Ed Flynn said a portion of the proceeds from the stand will be donated to local organizations working to prevent gun violence.
“This just shows awareness about gun violence and that you shouldn’t be doing this at this age, or you shouldn’t be doing this at all,” David said.
Nicole Lacole, a family friend, told CBS News she was “angry” that something like this happened in the community. “We’re not going to just let things like this happen. This is normally a safe place and it’s very sad that something like this happens,” she said.
Jonathan Raukor added: “It’s safe, it’s fun, and they literally do this every day, and this is one of those things that has happened. So of course it’s terrible, yes, but we want them to know that we’re not going to stop them from playing in the streets, we’re not going to stop them from playing with their kids.”
Drew Pittock covers trending news from around the country for USA TODAY. He can be reached at DPittock@usatodayco.com.
