An 11-year-old girl and her 12-year-old brother operating a lemonade stand in Boston got a brutal lesson in urban lawlessness Wednesday afternoon when a pair of juvenile suspects robbed them at gunpoint.
It was roughly 4:44 p.m. when the suspects first appeared, casing the stand with multiple walk-bys before finally approaching the children and asking whether they accepted Apple Pay. Before the kids could even answer, one suspect snatched the cash box right out from under them. The other made sure there was no resistance — lifting his shirt to flash a black firearm tucked into his waistband. The two then fled on foot. The cash box was later found nearby, empty. The take: approximately $50.
The children’s father, Dave Byrne, described what happened: “One of them said, ‘we don’t have any money, but we’re going to see if my mother will Venmo me the money so I can pay for it.’ Next thing you know, they came back and said, ‘we’re just going to take this,’ and they took my son’s and daughter’s – their money, bank that they had all their cash in. And as they did that they flashed a gun that they had in their waistband.”
“They called me, I’m at work, they’re hysterical, saying, ‘someone just came with a gun and took all of our money,’” their mother Jennifer recounted. Byrne added, “My kids immediately just put their hands up and said ‘take whatever you want.’ So, I’m proud of my kids for that and I’m proud of them for basically protecting each other, but also being smart in that bad situation.”
That pride, however, came wrapped in fury. “This is appalling, this is grotesque. This is something that should not happen to young kids,” Byrne said. “Can’t have a gun and can’t be robbing lemonade stands. It’s as easy as that.”
“The youngest one, my daughter, she was saying she’s scared to walk home from the bus stop, which is only two blocks away,” Jennifer noted.
Boston police released surveillance footage of the two juvenile suspects Thursday, and District C-6 detectives are actively investigating. No arrests have been made.
The story does have one redemptive note: City Councilor Ed Flynn announced that the stand will reopen Friday at 5:30 p.m, adding, “South Boston neighbors are helping these kids reopen their lemonade stand. Let’s show them how much love and support the Southie community has for them. It is also our understanding that 50% of proceeds will be donated to a local organization working to prevent gun violence.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact detectives at (617) 343-4742.
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