Houston police have arrested a 16-year-old boy on suspicion of stealing a toddler’s iPad after the suspect’s mother recognized him in surveillance video and turned him in.
The teen’s arrest Tuesday evening came just hours after video of the April 19 theft outside a laundromat was aired by local news stations, the New York Daily News reported.
“Apparently his father saw him on the news with the surveillance video we had sent out and called his mother. His mother called police and turned him in,” Houston Public Information Officer Jodi Silva told the Daily News on Wednesday.
In the video, the suspect is seen walking past the 2-year-old boy, taking a look around and then running toward the boy, grabbing the iPad out of his hands and knocking him to the ground before running away.
“Can clearly see that the suspect reaches down, takes the iPad from the child and, in doing so, he kind of gives him a shove and the child falls to the ground,” Senior Officer Ken Nealy told a local CBS affiliate.
The toddler’s mother was doing her laundry at the Washateria in the 8600 block of Tidwell and carrying clothes back and forth when the robbery happened, the station reported.
The suspect, who was not named because of his age, was charged with robbery. Police think the suspect is part of a duo wanted for recent purse and cell phone thefts in the area, the station reported.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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