A 10-year-old boy has been accused of stabbing a worker during an attempted robbery of a Pennsylvania Dollar Tree store, police said.
The juvenile walked into a branch of the discount chain brandishing a fixed-blade knife, before threatening an employee and telling her to hand over money, according to a statement from the local police department.
The worker’s colleagues came to the woman’s defense and managed to subdue the boy before police arrived, during the incident in Swatara Township, in Dauphin County near Harrisburg.
However, one of the employees was stabbed multiple times during the altercation, which occurred at around 5 p.m. Monday, June 29. When cops arrived the 10 year-old boy, who has not been named, was taken into custody.
The victim required medical treatment but the Swatara Township Police Department did not reveal the extent of the employee’s injuries or current condition.
The young suspect has now been charged with robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possessing an instrument of a crime. Authorities have confirmed that he is being held in a secure detention facility pending his court proceedings.
The Independent has contacted Dollar Tree and the Swatara Township Police Department for comment.
The incident comes after another 10-year-old boy was charged with murder after a 7 month-old girl was shot dead in Missouri last week.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police found Kiyomi Parker with gunshot wounds when they were called to a home in St Louis on June 26. The baby was rushed to a local hospital but later died from her injuries.
Witnesses at the scene claim that the boy picked up a gun and shot the girl, according to court records obtained by First Alert 4. The boy is believed to be the youngest person to face a murder charge in the state’s history.
