A trio of young alleged bank robbers dubbed the “little rascals” have been arrested after the parents of two of the boys turned them in to the police.
The three boys, aged just 16, 12, and 11 years old, made headlines when the Houston, Texas, FBI branch released security camera images in order to identify them after they allegedly robbed a Wells Fargo bank in the Greenspoint area.
“Recognize these ‘little rascals?’ Believe it or not they just robbed the Wells Fargo at 10261 North Freeway,” FBI Houston wrote on X. “If you know who and where they are contact police immediately.”
According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the boys allegedly showed the bank teller a threatening note, and they were believed to be armed.
“They got away with an undisclosed amount of cash,” 6ABC reported.
Once the photos made their rounds on social media and the news, the parents of two of the boys identified them to the sheriff’s office. Law enforcement confronted the third boy following a separate incident involving a fight, leading to his identification, as well.
Police were able to recover a weapon from one of the suspects but did not specify what it was.
“The age of the younger two, that’s unusual for a bank robbery,” Mike Schneider, a retired juvenile district court judge, told ABC 13 Houston. “It’s one of the first times I’ve seen that.”
The trio have since been charged with robbery by threat, a second-degree felony.
“I was thinking either this was very low in sophistication or maybe an adult had something to do with this. That is not uncommon. Because kids have a punishment that is less severe, it is not uncommon for adult offenders to get them to commit crimes,” Schneider said.
If found guilty, all three could face juvenile prison time. The older boy could be charged as an adult, but a criminal defense attorney told 6ABC that it would be unlikely.
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