DA Mulls Possible Juvenile Delinquency Case re Boy, 11, Accused in Armed Carjacking Attempt
Initially, it was reported that police planned to pursue no charges against 11- and 7-year-old boys who have been accused of attempting to carjack a vehicle at gunpoint in a church parking lot in Portland, Ore.
But the Multnomah County district attorney’s office is now considering whether to pursue a juvenile delinquency or neglect case concerning the older boy. Even if such a case is pursued, he almost undoubtedly will get probation, because state law calls for children under age 12 not to be put in juvenile detention centers, the Oregonian reports.
Amy Garrett, 22, told the Oregonian that she initially thought the carjacking was a joke—until the cursing youngsters showed her a .22 caliber handgun and a box of bullets through the driver’s side window.
Meanwhile, a neighbor who had been made aware of the developing incident called the police. As the 11-year-old grabbed her arm, Garrett said, she threw her pickup into reverse and raced out of the church lot as police were pulling in. Behind her, the 11-year-old was waving the gun in the air.
“I literally thought I was going to die,” Garrett told the newspaper. “If the cops hadn’t come right then, I’m sure he would’ve fired it.”
