Calgary police arrest 11-year-old boy in armed bus robbery

Calgary police arrested a 11-year-old boy after he allegedly robbed a bus driver at knifepoint.

Source: Rawpixel

Calgary police arrested a 11-year-old boy after he allegedly robbed a bus driver at knifepoint.

"At approximately 11:45 p.m., on Tuesday, a bus driver parked at the Erlton Station was approached by a youth who revealed a knife and demanded the driver's phone," Calgary police said in a statement.

Police added the boy left with “an undisclosed amount of money,” and was joined by two girls, aged 12 and 14.

Investigators believe the trio are also linked to a nearby liquor store robbery, where it was reported that “a group of teens ran into the store and stole multiple bottles of liquor, valued at more than $200.”

The 11-year-old boy accused of the bus driver robbery was released to a parent, according to police. He remains unnamed, as provisions in the Criminal Code don't allow for criminal charges against a person under the age of 12.

Meanwhile, the 14-year-old girl linked to the case — who also goes unnamed by police — faces shoplifting and other charges related to the liquor store robbery.

Charges are still pending against a 16-year-old girl also believed to be linked to the case.

The additional two suspects cannot be named under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The incidents reported in Calgary this week echo a wave of violence and crime allegedly linked to teenagers across the country in recent weeks.

In Toronto, for example, a 14-year-old boy was recently accused of stabbing a senior citizen to death in an apparent botched parking lot robbery.

In Hamilton, meanwhile, police are still searching for a 17-year-old who they say is responsible for an innocent bystander shooting death.

Notably, individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 are facing the highest unemployment numbers in the country at a national rate of 17.40 per cent.