OMAHA, NE – Omaha Police arrested an 11-year-old boy after he allegedly committed a series of crimes in the North Omaha area. With the implementation of a new law which went into affect on July 1, the child cannot be detained in a juvenile detention facility.
A victim of the crime has referred to the child as ruthless and claims she doesn’t think the boy at all takes his misdeeds seriously. However, she also doesn’t want him put into the system. Instead, she’s urging for him to the help he needs.
The incident happened right off of 30th street at Martin Avenue. Here the BP gas station is typically very busy. On Thursday, this was in fact the case. People in cars continually pulled up to the pump. But this fact became an opening for a crime.
Sierra Porter said, “He was right here! He literally just pulled on the handle and looked at me.”
Porter then reports that an 11-year-old boy leaped into her car, with her grandmother, and 2-year-old daughter inside.
Porter recalled, “He tried to put my car in drive. So my grandma starts pushing him. And when I run up to the car like, ‘What you doin?’ he grabs my phone and tries to run. My first instinct is to trip him. So I trip him and get my phone back. But it’s broken.”
She then says the kid ran. She also mentions that she was the 2nd target of his crimes.
“The lady next to me, he tried to take her car, but her daughter was in the back seat,” Porter said.
Porter immediately called the police and located the boy’s mother on social media.
Police are frustrated by the incident and feel like they’re in a no-win situation. In fact, they connected the boy to a burglary at 28th and Ida. Here, the home was upturned and laptops and shoes were taken.
Police charged the boy with three felonies, though due to his age, he was turned back over to his mother while he waits for his hearing.
