A late-night grab for a single piece of candy at a Bensalem gas station ended with a 14-year-old in handcuffs, an airsoft pistol recovered, and a felony robbery charge on the table, police say.
According to a Facebook post from Bensalem Township Police, officers were called to the Karco gas station at Street Road and High Avenue at about 1:08 a.m. after a clerk reported that a male juvenile demanded free merchandise, pulled out what looked like a handgun, and asked, "Do you want this?" When the clerk backed away, the teen allegedly grabbed a single piece of candy and ran out of the store.
How officers zeroed in on the 14-year-old
Police say the incident did not stay a mystery for long. After the clerk provided a description of the suspect, officers checked the township camera system and spotted someone who matched what the employee had reported. That search pointed them toward the Wellington Estates neighborhood.
Local reporting identifies the suspect as a 14-year-old Bensalem resident from Bristol Pike who was carrying an airsoft pistol that had been used during the robbery, and notes that officers arrested him at the intersection of Cheltenham Drive and William Penn Drive before charging him with robbery and sending him to the Bucks County Youth Detention Center, according to Patch. Police have not said what kind of candy was taken.
Charges and what comes next
The teen faces a felony robbery charge and was transported to the Bucks County Youth Center in Doylestown, the county's secure facility for alleged and adjudicated juveniles who are awaiting decisions in juvenile court, according to Bucks County. The Youth Center houses young people ages 10 to 18 and operates under state standards for secure juvenile detention while the court process plays out.
In its social media post, the department credited township surveillance cameras and “teamwork” for the quick identification and arrest, and said the juvenile's name would not be released because of his age, according to Bensalem Township Police. The 14-year-old remains in county custody pending juvenile-court proceedings.
