Police: Boys, 7 and 11, attempt robbery with gun

Published: December 9, 2012 Comment on this article

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Two boys, ages 7 and 11, are accused of trying to rob a woman with a loaded gun, police said Sunday.

The boys tried to carjack a 22-year-old woman who was in her family's truck waiting for her parents in a church parking lot, Portland police said in a statement.

Ami Garrett, of southeast Portland, told officers that when the boys approached her, the younger boy told the older boy to "show her your piece."

The woman said that when she refused to give them her vehicle, they demanded cash and her phone. She said that as she drove away, she saw the 11-year-old boy pull a gun from his pocket.

The boys were apprehended in the parking lot by officers responding to reports of children with guns. Police said they recovered a loaded .22 caliber handgun from the older boy's pockets.

Detectives were investigating how the boys obtained a gun. Because of their age, the boys could not be taken into custody at a juvenile detention center, so they were returned to their families, police said.

The 11-year-old tried to escape his parents' house but was quickly caught by officers and returned to his parents.

Police planned to give the case to the juvenile court.