Local News
Boston police are still searching for a second suspect in connection with the incident.
South Boston residents Jenn and David Byrne, whose children were robbed at their lemonade stand on Wednesday, say they are still in shock. Ariela Lopez for The Boston Globe
A 14-year-old boy was arrested Friday in South Boston in connection with the armed robbery of a children’s lemonade stand earlier in the week, according to Boston police.
The suspect, who police did not identify because he is a minor, is expected to be arraigned in Boston Juvenile Court on two counts of armed robbery and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, officials said.
The robbery happened at about 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday on West Ninth Street, where a brother and sister, aged 12 and 11, respectively, were running a lemonade stand.
According to police, two young men approached the stand after making several passes through the area. The pair asked whether the stand accepted Apple Pay before grabbing a box of cash. Police said one suspect flashed a black firearm in his waistband before both fled the scene.
“He walked over here, he said, ‘I might need to take the box,’ and he grabbed it with one hand, and then he showed us the gun,” 12-year-old David Byrne told CBS News Boston.
“My sister, she put her hands up, and I just said, ‘You can have it,’” Byrne said. “But after that, I was just a little annoyed because we’re 12 and 11, and you shouldn’t really do that.”
The suspects ran off with the cash box, which authorities later recovered and found to be empty. Police did not say how much money was taken.
Boston police released surveillance images and video of the suspects on Thursday as detectives sought the public’s help identifying them. Investigators are asking anyone with information about the second suspect to contact detectives at (617) 343-4742.
The robbery shocked the neighborhood, according to local reports.
“I’m pretty disgusted with it. They’re young children,” David’s father, Dave Byrne, told CBS News Boston shortly after the incident. “It was in the middle of broad daylight.”
On Friday evening, the Byrne siblings reopened their lemonade stand with support from neighbors, city officials, and residents. Mayor Michelle Wu was among those who attended.
“I never thought this many people would come,” Juliette Byrne, 11, said. “It really makes me feel happy.”
Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn said half of the money raised during the reopening would be donated to a local organization focused on preventing gun violence.
Morgan Rousseau is a freelance writer for Boston.com, where she reports on a variety of local and regional news.
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