A group of suspected bank robbers the FBI referred to as the “little rascals” are now in custody – and one of them is only 11 years old.
“They are 11, 12, and 16-year-old boys charged locally with robbery by threat,” the FBI’s Houston field office announced.
The bureau had previously released surveillance images of the suspects, saying they were accused of robbing a Wells Fargo in Houston on March 14. Witnesses initially believed the suspects were 14 to 18 years old, according to the FBI.
Two of the suspects were taken into custody after their parents recognised them in the surveillance photos and contacted law enforcement, CNN affiliate KTRK reported, citing the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office declined to confirm the circumstances of the arrests to CNN, saying no further details would be released as the suspects are all minors. The FBI has not disclosed how much money was taken in the robbery.
In Texas, a juvenile is legally defined as a person who is at least 10 years old but not yet 17 at the time of their crime or conduct in question. If found guilty of a crime, a minor could face probation or juvenile detention.
“The age of the younger two, that’s unusual for a bank robbery,” Mike Schneider, a retired juvenile district court judge, told ABC13. “It’s one of the first times I’ve seen that.”
