Police in Santa Monica, California, said Friday that they charged an 11-year-old boy with threatening to cut the owner of a bicycle with a knife during a robbery attempt.
Authorities said the incident took place around 9:30 a.m. Oct. 2, when the suspect and a 13-year-old boy approached a bike strapped to the rear of a truck by Santa Monica Beach.
The victim told police the two were unaware he was sitting inside the truck as they began trying to pull off the robbery. Once they noticed the victim, the younger boy threatened the victim with the knife, police said.
Both boys fled the area but were soon detained by responding officers. Officers also found the knife, which the boy had dropped during a foot pursuit, police said.
Authorities said the 11-year-old was issued a citation for armed robbery and the 13-year-old was cited for obstructing an investigation.
Police said the boys were runaways from a residential care facility in San Dimas, which is about 46 miles east of Santa Monica. They were returned to the facility after being picked up by police.
Authorities said both boys were arrested twice last month on suspicion of carjacking and burglarizing a vehicle.
