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ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - The revelation that boys 11 and 12 years old are implicated in an armed robbery may be a shock to many. But that is not the case from the view of a former Fulton County prosecutor.
The incident occurred on Easter Sunday. The boys were on a south section of the BeltLine. They spotted an adult female and saw she had a cellphone.
There was a brief conversation -- a ruse -- and then one of the boys pulled up his shirt to show a weapon.
She turned over her phone.
Attorney Ash Joshi said he is not shocked that a 12-year-old had a gun in his possession.
If the same set of circumstances took place and the suspect was at least a teen, then the case could be moved to the adult superior court. There are minimum mandatory sentences in that court.
Joshi said should a juvenile court judge determine guilt in the Easter Sunday incident, there may be a period of confinement followed by probation.
The key, said Joshi, is that a juvenile judge comes to each incident with this premise. They will take action that benefits the child while weighing the seriousness of the offense.
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