A 12-year-old LaPlace boy has been arrested and booked with simple battery (misdemeanor) and simple robbery (felony) after accosting a 17-year-old male in a local park and taking $10 from him.
The victim reported the incident in a 911 call on Saturday, Nov. 15. The victim told St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s deputies that shortly before 4 p.m. on Saturday he was approached by two males while at Greenwood Park in LaPlace. One of the suspects, later identified as a 14-year-old juvenile, wore a ski mask.
The victim said he attempted to run from the suspects, but they chased him.
The 12-year-old suspect slapped the victim hard in the back of his head and removed money from his pockets, the victim told deputies. When the suspect demanded the victim’s phone, the victim was able to run away. The victim told deputies that he recognized the suspect from a previous incident in which he had stolen money from him, but he did know his name.
Shortly after the incident, deputies located two suspects at the park who matched the description given by the victim. One of the suspects, a 12-year-old juvenile, was found to have two $5 bills reported stolen from the victim.
The juvenile was arrested and later released into the custody of his mother.