11 Year Old Boy Arrested For Playing With Rubber-Band Gun (Facing Felony Charges)

[matcom]

<snip>

OCOEE, Fla. -- An 11-year-old Ocoee boy was arrested for playing with a toy gun. Police said the arrest was necessary, because it was a safety issue.

The boy was using a rubber band gun and his father said the kid did nothing wrong, but police said they take it as a serious threat and the 11-year-old is facing felony charges.

The crime isn't very common, but Ocoee police said it is serious. It centers on an 11-year0old boy and his toy short-barreled shotgun.

The incident started Sunday afternoon, when the 11-year-old was riding in his dad's pickup near Clarke Road and White Road in Ocoee. Someone driving nearby called police after they said the boy pointed what looked like a real gun out the window. The victim told police she was afraid for her life.

"With that type of behavior, it's hard to tell if it's a real gun or not, especially in their car," said Sgt. Randy Conyers, Ocoee Police Department.

But, according to the charging affidavit, the 11-year-old's dad said nothing was wrong with what his son had done and that he used to do it as a kid. The boy even told police he was pretending to be a cop and thought the victims were laughing with him.

The gun itself only fires rubber bands and was checked into evidence. Police didn't comment on the weapon's color or release any images. Still, the victims said they were frightened and, police said, toy or no toy, the charges are justified.

Eyewitness News spoke to the father of the suspect on the phone. He said his son is out of juvenile detention and that a judge told him the case would be dropped. He also confirmed that the gun was black, but that it looked more like a stick than a gun.

http://www.wftv.com/news/13448349/detail.html

[Connonym]

1. good lord is this what the world has become?

Sometimes I think that everyone my age (41) would be serving life in prison for the shit we did when we were young.

[Burma Jones]

2. When Rubber Band Guns Are Outlawed.....

The Bad Guys (TM) will escalate to pea shooters....When will it ever end???

[Sequoia]

11. Andy Taylor arrests son Opie for using sling-shot.

"It's the law," said Sheriff Taylor, "and I can't let my own son get away with this. Of course Deputy Fife disagrees and I had to fire him. After all, he made and gave the weapon to Opie"

[commander bunnypants]

3. shit

we used to make em when I was a kid.

We also had bottle rocket wars


CB

[av8rdave]

4. This is why we MUST invade Iran

Intelligence suggests there are huge caches of rubber band guns hidden throughout Iran. If the terrorists get these weapons, our next message from them could come in the form of a rubber cloud.

You heard it here first.

[Deep13]

9. And if everyone is not convinced by that, let me add...

...nine-eleven.

[av8rdave]

13. You forgot to say it three times!

[Bassic]

5. Good lord

What the fuck is wrong with Florida?

[El Fuego]

6. I'd call the police if I saw a gun pointed out a car window aimed at me.

But they should have arrested the father. What kind of parents encourage their kids to terrorize innocent people?

"the 11-year-old's dad said nothing was wrong with what his son had done and that he used to do it as a kid."

The redneck acorn doesn't fall far from the redneck tree.

[Deep13]

10. terrorize?

http://www.surefireproducts.com/html/product_info_.html

I dunno.

[El Fuego]

14. They look like guns.

:shrug:

A little black paint, and voilà.

[mark414]

7. it's a mad mad mad mad world

how did we go from being the country that braved the Depression and beat Hitler to a nation of scared, sensitive softies?

we used to have courage, charisma and common sense; now we're just chicken littles running around with our heads cut off.

:banghead:

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

8. Back then, we had little to lose.

Great Depression and all. It was a low-risk, large-reward venture.

Now, we've got everything to lose, and we're scared senseless of that.

[mark414]

12. we think we've got everything to lose

but we don't. and in our fear and paranoia we end up losing it without even realizing it.

[Deja Q]

16. There are such things as 11 year old bullies, who do things in jest,

or CLAIM it's in jest, or are outright vicious and do hurt other people.

If the parents are unwilling (or unable), SOMEONE has to intervene.

[Deja Q]

15. Good.

For personal reasons on top of basic common decency (not to mention civility), it's damn good the little brat was arrested.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. ...

[Deep13]

20. An elastic has far more lethality than a bb.

I'm surprised the SWAT team was not called.

[mainegreen]

18. What are the charges? Fright by misinterpretation?

The 'victims' here think pressing charges are a good idea? These 'victims' have become the perpetrators.
What a bunch of weak kneed spineless shits with no common sense who clearly got the short end of the empathy stick.

[Deja Q]

19. A good point.

Of course, ask any kid who had his eye poked out by one.

Whatever it takes to teach a kid you don't aim projectile weapons at others and expect to get away with it, don't expect me to have any complaints.

I'm just lucky I can still see. Though I'll admit it wasn't a rubber binder aimed at my eye at the time... the point's the same, it's not "boys being boys" - you teach children not to act in a vicious manner. Those who do or attempt - arrest them.

[mainegreen]

24. True, but I could poke your eye out with a pencil.

Should I be charged with a crime therefore if I have a pencil?
I hate these stupid 'precrime' laws we seems to have now.

Still, I'm glad your eyes ok!
:hi:

[Connonym]

21. Write congress NOW and demand ponytail elastics be banned from school

:eyes: Our childruns are in danger

[Maddy McCall]

22. If the rubber band gun looked like this:

then those who called the police are idiots--and the police are over-reacting by charging the kid with a felony.



If it looked like this:



then the Dad is an idiot for letting the kid wave it around in traffic.

[WindRavenX]

23. seriously, again, Florida

What is in the water? :wtf:

[Oeditpus Rex]

25. So now kids can be arrested for scaring people?

Obviously, we must ban Halloween.