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Russian Kids ‘Rob’ Store With Toy Gun, Win National Attention

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Two schoolchildren in central Russia have been reprimanded for trying to rob a toy store using a toy gun they had allegedly stolen from the same shop.

Surveillance footage published by local media in Yekaterinburg showed an underage boy pointing a toy handgun and “shooting” the store clerk as a second boy stands by. A scuffle breaks out and the boy once again points the toy gun at the clerk as she tries to lock the doors.

The 12-year-old “robber” has a police record for running away from home and larceny, a regional police spokesman told the Yekaterinburg-based Znak.com news website Tuesday. 

“His mother told Interior Ministry representatives that she can’t cope with the behavior of such a disobedient son,” said the spokesman, Valery Gorelykh.

She has repeatedly been fined for failing to perform her parental duties, the spokesman added.

The boy's 8-year-old partner in crime has been reprimanded for “following an older friend like a little fool,” his mother told the 360 TV broadcaster Tuesday.

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