A teenage boy was arrested on Friday for allegedly robbing a pair of young siblings’ lemonade stand at gunpoint in South Boston.
The 14-year-old boy, who wasn’t publicly identified because he is a minor, was nabbed by the Boston Police Department just two days after the shocking robbery left the lemonade-slinging brother and sister traumatized.
David Byrne, 12, and Juliette Byrne, 11, were hoping to make some extra cash ahead of summer break, so they embarked on an age-old tradition and opened a lemonade stand near their home.
The children set up shop at the edge of a sidewalk on West Ninth Street. Two male juvenile suspects passed by their stand several times before finally approaching at 4:45 p.m.
The boys asked the siblings if they accepted Apple Pay, then one showed off a black firearm tucked into his waistband before they could respond, according to the Boston Police Department.
The other suspect snatched the cash box — but David almost protested.
“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,” David told CBS News Boston.
“My sister, she put her hands up, and I just said, ‘You can have it’. But after that, I was just a little annoyed because we’re 12 and 11, and you shouldn’t really do that,” he added.
The suspects bolted with the cash box, which contained roughly $50. Authorities later recovered the box, but it was empty, Boston.com reported.
The siblings abandoned their stand and recounted the holdup to their dad, who called 911.
As news of the robbery went viral, the Boston community banded together to support the kids. On Friday, Brian and Juliette reopened their lemonade stand to critical acclaim from neighbors and city officials — including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
“I never thought this many people would come. It really makes me feel happy,” Juliette said.
Half of the money raised on Friday will be donated to a local organization focused on preventing gun violence, according to Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn.
The arrested suspect is expected to be arraigned in Boston Juvenile Court on two counts of armed robbery and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, according to the Boston Police Department.
The second suspect is still at large.
