EVERETT — A 12-year-old Everett boy, who is accused of holding up a coffee stand and a convenience store with a handgun he allegedly borrowed from a 16-year-old friend, pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree robbery Thursday in Snohomish County Juvenile Court.The 16-year-old, who is charged with one count of robbery in a separate incident, also entered a not-guilty plea.
Both are in custody at the Denney Juvenile Justice Center in Everett and have court hearings later this month.
The 12-year-old is being detained in lieu of $10,000 bail and the 16-year-old is being held on $5,000 bail.
Because of the seriousness of the crime, prosecutors said the teen will face a special court hearing Sept. 24 to determine whether he will face charges as an adult. The younger boy is being prosecuted in juvenile court.
Neither is being named by The Seattle Times because both are currently charged as juveniles.
During the arraignment, the 12-year-old showed little emotion.
His mother, however, was forcefully removed from the courtroom after she cried, yelled and swung her arm at a Times photographer.
Surrounded by other members of the boy’s family, the mother had already interrupted the proceedings to request a ban on photography but was told by Juvenile Court Judge Ellen Fair that the courts are open to the public.
The judge said the photographer was not to take pictures of the child’s face, but the mother jumped up to shield her son from the camera when his case was called. She then turned and swung her arm toward the photographer.
An officer of the court grabbed her arm and led her from the room, telling her to “calm down.”
According to Snohomish County prosecutors, the 16-year-old Arlington teen and an unidentified accomplice robbed the Jimmy John’s sandwich shop at 909 Sievers Duecy Road in Everett on July 23.
Prosecutors said the two wore surgical masks and displayed a handgun as they ordered employees to open the register. Both stuffed money in their pockets before fleeing, police said.
A little over a month later, a clerk at Peck’s Drive Market, 801 Peck’s Drive, in Everett reported being robbed at gunpoint by a young boy with a “high-pitched voice,” police say.
Police said the boy, reported to be about 5-feet-1 and 10 to 12 years old, walked into the store and pointed the gun at the clerk. The boy then pulled a plastic bag from his pocket and told the clerk to fill it with money, police said.
The clerk complied and the boy left, police said.
Five days later, the Hillbilly Hotties espresso stand at 4034 Hoyt Ave. was robbed by a boy described as 10 to 12 years old who rode a bicycle, ordered a drink and then pulled a handgun from his backpack, prosecutors say in court documents filed on Wednesday.
Prosecutors say the boy said, “Bitch give me all the money” to the barista, then threatened to shoot her in the leg.
Police pulled video surveillance from a business near the espresso stand and were able to identify the boy, court documents say. They say his identify was confirmed by both the convenience-store clerk and the barista.
Prosecutors say the 12-year-old told police after his arrest that he had borrowed the gun from the 16-year-old and later returned it with a portion of the money he had stolen. Reportedly, the exchanges took place at a church both boys attend, police and a prosecutor source said.
The 12-year-old told police the older boy was responsible for the Jimmy John’s robbery, court documents say.
The 16-year-old, who has a 2009 burglary conviction for vandalizing a vacant home with friends, admitted to the robbery when confronted by police and turned over the revolver, charging documents say.
The second suspect in the sandwich-shop robbery has not yet been identified, police said.
