A pair of 13-year-olds running a lemonade stool were robbed of their profits at gun point.
CCTV footage of the stick up shows Jude Peterson and his friend outside his home in Chicago last Friday.
In the video two older boys in hoodies can be seen approaching them from across the street.
One of the boys snatches something from the boys' table.
The 13-year-old said one of the older teenagers brandished a gun before snatching the cash, MailOnline reported.
At the time of the theft the lemonade entrepreneurs had $30 (£22) in their box.
"The boys were just shocked, they couldn't process what was happening until it was over," Nathan Peterson, Jude's father, told CNN.
"I got a call from police saying, ''Hey, your kids are OK, but they just got robbed.'
"I almost blacked out, I was just so scared I was trying to get there as fast as possible."
When Nathan got to the stand he was confronted with a scene he did not expect.
Surrounding the stall were 12 officers from Peoria Police Department who were buying lemonade.
They were paying well over the odds - in some instances $20 (£14)- for a cup.
When news of the robbery began to spread through the community people came together to support the boys.
More than $3,500 (£2,670) has been raised for them through an online fundraiser.
When the pair set the stand up again this Tuesday dozens of people dropped by to support their local lemonade business.
Fifteen police cars also paraded down the street before officers indulged in a portion of the sweet liquid.
Nathan said he was left 'teary eyed' by the spectacle.
