2 children were running a lemonade stand in South Boston. Then someone robbed them at gunpoint

Two young children were allegedly robbed at gunpoint while running a lemonade stand in South Boston in the afternoon, according to CBS News. Boston Police said the kids were not hurt, but that no arrests have been made as of the time of this writing. 

The children, an 11-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy, were reportedly working their lemonade stand when the incident took place at around 4:40 p.m. on the corner of E and West 9th Streets. Their father, Dave Byrne, later spoke to CBS News about what his children went through.

“I’m pretty disgusted with it, they’re young children they’re 11 and 12 years old it was in the middle of broad daylight,” Byrne said. “Definitely a little disturbed, definitely a little upset about everything. They’re sad they don’t think anything like this should ever happen.”

Father describes how the alleged robbery unfolded, praises his children’s response

Byrne said those two robbers first approached the stand and asked to buy lemonade, but said they did not have any money. The suspects then allegedly returned, displayed a firearm, and demanded the children’s cash box before fleeing in the direction of Dorchester Street along West 9th, Byrne said. He also said his children responded calmly under pressure, immediately raising their hands and telling the suspects to take what they wanted.

“Which my kids immediately just put their hands up and said ‘take whatever you want’ so I’m proud of my kids for that and I’m proud of them for basically protecting each other, but also being smart in that bad situation,” Byrne told CBS News.

Neighbors in the area said they were disturbed by what had happened. Incidents involving children allegedly put in dangerous situations have drawn widespread concern across the country in recent months. Suzanna Ruotolo, a local resident, shared her reaction after learning about the alleged robbery. “It’s awful and scary and something you don’t want to come home to after a night. It’s disappointing, I didn’t expect it on our street,” Ruotolo said.

Byrne also called on authorities to increase their presence in the neighborhood to help prevent similar incidents from occurring. “It’s outrageous that in such a good community that we can have something like this happen,” he said. “I think we need some more presence around in order for this never to happen again.”

According to Byrne, the lemonade stand was a regular community activity where local children would gather to earn a small amount of money and learn about the value of hard work. Cases where children were allegedly lured into dangerous situations by adults have also raised alarms about child safety in communities across the United States. 

The stand was reportedly a familiar sight in the neighborhood. Boston Police said they are continuing to investigate the alleged incident. As of the publication of this article, no arrests have reportedly been made, and authorities have publicly identified no further suspects.