A gun-toting 12-year-old that police describe as a chronic offender has been arrested for armed robbery in Nanaimo, B.C.
The youth was taken into custody yesterday after allegedly pointing a gun at a man in his 20s and demanding his cell phone and personal items.
The man had just gotten out of his car when police say two young men on bicycles approached him.
Sgt. Sheryl Armstrong said the victim ran straight for help and called 911. He was not injured, however, was reportedly very upset at having a gun pointed at him.
Armstrong said police have already had hundreds of run-ins with the 12-year-old in the past two years, including arrests for similar offences.
"There's been a lot of issues with him," she told ctvbc.ca. "The mom has tried a lot of things to help him. We're hoping that now he's in the court system they can look at the root causes of his problems."
B.C.'s Ministry of Children and Families and the Nanaimo RCMP has been in close contact with the family, Armstrong said.
"We're all on the same page with this fellow," she said. "We just want to get him help."
The boy appeared in Nanaimo provincial court Wednesday. He has been remanded into custody until his next court hearing.
