A juvenile carjacker chose the wrong victim earlier this month when he tried to make a quick score in a suburban neighborhood near San Francisco.
Viral video of the incident shows the would-be victim picking up the armed carjacker and slamming him to the ground. The juvenile drops the gun he was holding and shrieks as the victim holds him down. After a few seconds, the car owner lets the boy get up, and he runs away with his accomplice.
Both were arrested later that week in connection with another attempted robbery.
“Although we do not encourage individuals to resist an armed encounter, we are thankful that… the victim’s [sic] acted quickly to prevent them from being injured and having the belongings stolen,” said Lt. Ali Khan of the San Leandro Police Department.
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The San Leandro PD reported that the juvenile carjackers had been involved in attempted robberies both before and after the viral incident.
Six hours before, three juveniles approached a man who was withdrawing money from an ATM at a Chase Bank. They pointed a gun at him and demanded money, but the victim scared them away by claiming to be an off-duty police officer.
Then, four days after the attempted carjacking, three boys were arrested by the Oakland Police for being part of an armed robbery.
Officers released those juveniles to their parents, but three days later they were arrested again for another attempted carjacking. Four juveniles were arrested in that incident, an 11-year-old, a 12-year-old, and two 14-year olds. Police confirmed that two of those boys were involved in the viral carjacking the week prior.
In the video of the first carjacking captured on a neighbor’s surveillance camera, two juveniles can be seen approaching a man after he gets out of his vehicle. They point a gun at his head, and he begins walking backward.
“Are you serious?” he asks.
The view is partially obstructed by the car, but the man begins striking at the boy and picks him up from behind.
“Ok! Ok!” the boy yells, still holding the gun.
The man slams him on the ground, and the gun clatters to the street. The boy’s accomplice stands well out of arm’s reach while the man jumps on the boy and holds him to the ground.
The boy (or his friend) screams, and his accomplice yells, “Hey, let him go!”
The boy says something inaudible, and the man shoves the boy away. The two suspects run out of the camera frame, and the man picks up the gun.
In the midst of a national debate about police procedure, some Twitter users wondered why police can’t deal with armed assailants in the same way.
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I’m not gonna lie why can’t interactions with cops end like this. I bet those are never gonna do some shit like this again AND they’re still alive.
— Jacobi🌚 (@luckandgoodgen1) April 17, 2021
Others hypothesized that the gun was fake, though police said the teen attempted the carjacking “using a gun.”
By the sound of the gun drop it sound plastic or hallow, dude def knew it wasn’t real so he taught them dumb ass kids a lesson! Good shit! “You fuckin serious?” Had me geeking
— •FEEKS• (@FFeeks) April 17, 2021
The cases have been referred to the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center for prosecution.