Youthful, "Hungry" & Violent

11-year-old booked with armed robbery

Friday January 18, 2008, 4:37 PM
By Victoria St. Martin

An investigation into an armed robbery in which cheesy bread and buffalo wings were taken from a pizza delivery driver in LaPlace last week led authorities to an unlikely suspect: a hungry 11-year-old boy.

The boy confessed Thursday to the robbery, which occurred after he called Domino's pizza and ordered a $35 takeout dinner of pizzas, Buffalo wings and cheesy bread, authorities said. When the driver arrived at his house, the boy took the order from the driver and pulled a handgun when she protested, authorities said. No money was taken.

Detectives with the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office booked the boy, whose name was not released, with armed robbery around 12:40 p.m. after he was questioned in the presence of his mother, said Maj. Mike Tregre, Sheriff's Office spokesman. The charge is considered a felony.


Tregre said the boy placed the delivery call from a cell phone. An anonymous tip led them to the 11-year-old, Tregre said.

The boy admitted robbing a 22-year-old Domino's driver as she delivered the order in the 2500 block of Virginian Colony Avenue on Jan. 8 around 2:20 p.m., Tregre said.

Tregre said the driver told authorities the boy had been sitting on a vehicle in the driveway and began questioning her about the order as she got out of her car. When she placed the food in her car to confirm what was inside, the boy reached in and took the entire order, along with a $250 heating bag.

When the driver protested, the boy pulled out a handgun and began walking north on Virginian Colony, according to a Sheriff's Office report.

Tregre said the boy told authorities that the handgun was real, and investigators are trying to locate the gun and determine where the boy got it. He was being held in the St. James Juvenile Detention Center and is awaiting a Wednesday hearing.

The mother of the 11-year-old said she thought her son was in school when the robbery took place, Tregre said.

His reason for carrying out the crime: He said he was hungry, Tregre said.