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Cops: Boys Rob Kan. Store With Water Gun
Boys Aged 11 And 14 Accused Of Holding Up Kansas Store With Squirt Gun Wrapped In Tape


LEAVENWORTH, Kan., May. 16, 2007
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(AP) Two adolescent boys are accused of wielding a concealed weapon _ a squirt gun wrapped in black electrical tape _ to steal cash from a discount store.

The purple plastic toy was recovered from the downtown Dollar General store by officers who caught the suspects, ages 11 and 14, within minutes of the holdup, police said Tuesday.

"It's very troubling that a kid that is 11 years old can formulate the thought in their mind to do something like this," police Maj. Pat Kitchens said.

No one was injured in the holdup Monday afternoon.

Kitchens said the boys are suspected of walking into the store and displaying the weapon while demanding cash. The clerk reported struggling with the older boy while the younger one reached into a cash register and grabbed money, Kitchens said.

The boys, who are not related, were being held in a juvenile detention center. Police expect they will be charged with robbery, Kitchens said.

Police said the law makes no concession for the fact the gun was designed to hold water rather than bullets.

"The crime is dictated by the behavior of the suspects in this instance," Kitchens said.

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