Three boys dubbed the “Little Rascals” by the Houston FBI in a post on X, aged 11. 12, and 16, have been arrested for robbing a Wells Fargo bank in Houston. According the Houston FBI, the three “Little Rascals” were charged with “robbery by threat” and were taken into custody on Tuesday, March 19, though because they are juveniles, their identities were not revealed.
The FBI first asked for the public’s help in identifying the three young bank robbers in a March 14 post on X. Posting three pictures of the young bank robbers, it said, “Recognize these “little rascals”? Believe it or not they just robbed the Wells Fargo at 10261 North Freeway. If you know who and where they are contact police immediately or @crimestophou at 713-222-TIPS. #HouNews”
Adding a few more details in a follow-up post included as a comment on the “little rascals” post, the Houston FBI noted that witnesses described the extreme youth of the three bank robbers and that they fled the scene of the crime on foot. It said, “Witnesses describe the trio of bank robbers as being between 14-18 years old. They left the bank on foot.”
Numerous commenters joked about one of the kids’ moms being a “getaway driver,” joking, “My mom said she can pick us up if your mom can drop us off?” and “Don’t even look old enough to drive. Was one of their moms the getaway driver.” Others joked about the FBI and bank’s incompetence, saying things like, “i dont know which is more embarrassing that a bank got robbed by some middle schoolers or that the fbi cant find them”
Then, on March 19, the Houston FBI announced that all three of the “little rascals” had been apprehended. It wrote, “#BREAKING All three bank robbery suspects known as the ‘little rascals’ are in custody. They are 11, 12, and 16 year-old boys charged locally with robbery by threat. Because they are juveniles, their names and no additional details will be released. #HouNews”
Commenting on the post, people said things like, “The bank should be ashamed of themselves for letting children successfully rob them. How embarrassing,” “They didn’t have a weapon. Why would a bank teller give them the money 🤷🏽♂️😂,” and “They all need to be charged as adults and their parents need to be held accountable too“.
A retired judge, commenting on the situation, told ABC13, “The age of the younger two, that’s unusual for a bank robbery. It’s one of the first times I’ve seen that.” He continued, “I was thinking either this was very low in sophistication or maybe an adult had something to do with this. That is not uncommon. Because kids have a punishment that is less severe, it is not uncommon for adult offenders to get them to commit crimes.”
ABC13 also reported that the boys robbed the bank by passing a threatening note to the teller. Then, after the photos of the “rascals” were released, two of the boys’ parents came forward and identified them, while the third was recognized by law enforcement after being involved in a fight.
Watch local media’s report on their arrest here:
Featured image credit: Houston FBI on X
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