Two 10-year-olds robbed a 67-year-old woman on a Crown Heights street corner on Monday afternoon, police said. The senior was at Empire Boulevard and Rogers Avenue at 2 p.m. when five tykes approached her, the youngest aged 4, according to the Daily News.
The victim thought they were asking for change, and was prepared to give it to them when the prepubescent pair allegedly demanded her bag instead. The two kids grabbed her purse and, when she wouldn't let go, police say one punched her in the face. The other three children weren't involved in the robbery.
Cops found the suspects nearby and one allegedly put up a fight while being arrested. Both reportedly face juvenile robbery charges, and one was hit with an additional rap for resisting arrest. A police spokesman said he did not have charging information, but that the children were released to their parents.
The News spoke to the victim, who asked not to be named:
"Oh my god, I'm so stressed over it," she said. "It was broad daylight. All they cared about is my bag. They wanted my bag.
"It's really sad because I'm a mother, a grandmother, an aunt," she continued. "I hope they get help. All I'm praying is somebody gets help for them and their parents."
The kids live in Bushwick and Prospect Lefferts Gardens, according to the NY Post. Their alleged actions put area adults in a tizzy.
"Kids! Lord have mercy," Cecilia Soberanis told the News. "They're out of school and it comes into their mind to rob people? If they're starting at this age, what will they be doing when they're teenagers?"
Robberies are up slightly in the neighborhood's 71st police precinct (PDF), which also serves Prospect Lefferts Gardens, with 188 happening in 2015 as of August 2nd, as compared to 172 the same time last year.
