An Austin man is charged with robbing a $10 bill from children at knifepoint in Southeast Austin on Thursday, police said.
A mother sent her 8-year-old son and a 12-year-old girl to a store next to their apartment complex on Burton Drive near Woodland Avenue, she told police. As the children were returning to the apartment from the store, a man -- who police believe was 18-year-old Kenderick Matamoros -- approached them with a knife and grabbed a $10 bill that the 8-year-old boy had in his hand. The children said the man told them something like “Don’t tell anyone because I’m the devil,” police said.
Both children ran back to the apartment, and the mother called police at 7:40 p.m.
Neighbors, including another group of children, helped the responding police officer track down Matamoros. They told the officer Matamoros lived in the same complex and directed him to Matamoros’ apartment.
The 8-year-old boy later confidently identified Matamoros in a photo lineup, police said. When questioned, Matamoros said he took the $10 from the boy when the boy dropped it. He said he had a knife on him at the time, but did not take it out.
Matamoros was booked into the Travis County Jail early Friday. He was still there as of Monday afternoon on a charge of aggravated robbery and a bail amount of $70,000, records show.
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