Crime & Safety

Attack on Boys was 'Milk Money Robbery,' Not Molestation

After interviewing witnesses, investigators now believe the two 12-year-olds who were accosted near Ladera Elementary were victims of armed robbery.

The knifepoint attack on two boys near Ladera Elementary is now considered a robbery, not a sexual assault, authorities said Tuesday.

"We are switching the focus of our investigation," Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino said. "A milk money robbery is what it appears to be. It's definitely not kidnapping, it's definitely not sexual assault."

The incident occurred Sunday evening when two 12-year-olds were accosted inside Founders Park near Ladera Elementary School. One ran. The other was dragged away and forced at knifepoint to remove his pants.

Find out what's happening in Mission Viejowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The trouser removal initally led investigators to believe the attack was sexual in nature. But after 24 detectives interviewed hundreds of nearby residents and witnesses, a similar unreported crime was unearthed, Amormino said.

It involved "a young boy robbed of his pants and the contents" a few days earlier, he said. Detectives now think the two attacks are connected, he said.

Find out what's happening in Mission Viejowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

And the suspect may be much younger than originally reported, he said. Detectives found grainy video taken soon after the Founders Park attack. It showed a young man in a hoodie—believed to be the suspect—fleeing the area on a bicycle.

Why did the robber remove his victim's pants?

"Young boys don't carry purses—they carry their money in their pants," Amormino said. And if a robber takes a kid's pants, "the thought is a young boy would not leave because he'd be embarrassed."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.