A 15-year-old boy is accused of armed robbery of two children who were selling water on a Buckhead street last month.
The July 12 incident was among those that have highlighted city and Atlanta Police Department concerns about juveniles selling bottled water on the streets and related crimes. The city is working on a plan with a carrot-and-stick approach to the practice.
The robbery was reported in the area of the Whitley Hotel at 3434 Peachtree Road at the Lenox Road intersection. According to APD, the victims were boys aged 11 and 12. They were approached by three males, one of whom displayed a gun.
“I don’t want to pop you, so give me your money,” the suspect told one victim, according to a police report, then punched the victim in the stomach.
The other victim reported that the suspect asked for all of his money, then fled toward Lenox Square mall.
According to APD, an officer later identified the suspect based on the victims’ description and robbery investigators obtained an arrest warrant on charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The APD’s fugitive unit arrested the suspect on Aug. 4 and transported him to the Metro Regional Youth Detention Center in Atlanta.
The suspect and the victims were not identified by APD because they are juveniles.
Last month, APD announced the arrests of two juvenile water-sellers in Buckhead on charges of firearm possession and other offenses.