PORTLAND — Two boys, ages 11 and 7, attempted to rob a woman with a loaded gun, Portland police said Sunday.
The 11-year-old boy had a .22 caliber loaded handgun when officers contacted him Saturday at the parking lot of the Freedom Foursquare Church, police said.
Officers were responding to a call reporting children with guns. When they arrived, the boys tried to run away, but were quickly stopped.
“Officers told the 11-year-old to keep his hands out of his pockets but he ignored the officers and tried putting his hand back in his pocket,” a police statement said. “Officers grabbed his arms and recovered a cocked and loaded .22 caliber handgun in his pocket.”
Before being questioned, the boys had apparently tried to carjack a 22-year-old woman sitting in her family’s truck waiting for her parents at the church parking lot.
When the boys approached her, the 7-year-old told the 11-year-old to “show her your piece.” She refused to give the boys her car and the boys instead demanded cash and her phone, the woman said.
“The woman again refused to give them anything and she drove away, calling 911. As she pulled away, she saw the 11-year-old pull the gun from his pocket,” police said.
Because of their age, officers placed the boys in their families’ custody. After being dropped off at his parents’ house, the older boy took off running again, but officers caught him.
Detectives are investigating how the boys obtained a gun.
