Police are investigating a trio of recent crimes in southwest Atlanta allegedly involving young offenders, some only 8 years old.
“While we often deal with juvenile crime, it is rare for someone as young as 8 years old to be involved in criminal activity," APD spokesman Carlos Campos said Wednesday in a statement.
"To see juveniles this young involved in criminal activity is certainly alarming. But we do not consider this a growing trend at this time; these appear to be out of the ordinary," Campos said.
The youths' names were not released because they are minors.
According to authorities, a resident said he returned to his Starmist Drive home on June 19 to find an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old trying to steal a television.
The juveniles said the residence already had been broken into and they found the door open and took things -- three TVs, a bed, a dresser, a coffee table and bags of clothes -- which they agreed to return.
During the investigation, they pointed out three more suspects -- 13, 15 and 16 -- who they said were involved in the initial break-in. Officers detained all the suspects, and they were charged with burglary.
A 12-year-old was arrested and charged with burglary in connection with a July 26 break-in on Abbey Drive. A laptop computer and Wii game system were stolen, and the owner later saw his game system for sale at an East Point store.
After matching the serial numbers, investigators obtained a receipt with the name of the suspect who had sold the game system to the store the day after the burglary. Authorities determined that the game system was compensation for the 12-year-old's involvement in the crime.
No arrests have been made in connection to property damage on Harwell Road on July 30. The victim said he noticed a child about 8 years old looking through his window, then went outside and saw a youth approximately 14 years old in his vehicle.
The suspects ran and have not been apprehended. The vehicle was unlocked and the steering column was damaged, the victim told police.
APD Zone 4 Commander Maj. Rodney Bryant warned affected residents about an increase in burglaries in an email alert Monday.
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