A 13-year-old boy was arrested Thursday after he allegedly broke into nearly a dozen homes in the Detroit area to target young girls, including a 10-year-old child he’s accused of choking inside her bedroom, police said.
The unidentified teen is linked to the unnerving crime spree that possibly dates back to 2022 with his most recent home invasion happening last week, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and reports.
The baby-faced suspect, who was wearing a mask and was armed with a knife, allegedly broke into a Pontiac home around 4 a.m. on Feb. 4 through an unlocked window and started choking a 10-year-old girl who was asleep in her bed, the sheriff’s office said.
The teen perp ran off after the girl screamed and her mother rushed into her room only to catch a glimpse of her daughter’s attacker.
“Obviously, an intruder willing to climb into a home in the middle of the night and armed with a knife and primarily in homes of young girls is a person we need to catch and take off the street,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a statement.
Authorities blasted out an image of the suspect before he was captured Thursday when a community member recognized him and called police, CBS Detroit reported.
Police initially thought the alleged creep was between the ages of 17 and 21 as they worked to ID a suspect.
Investigators believe the 13-year-old was involved in at least 11 successful or attempted break-ins that happened in Pontiac and Detroit.
Residents were warned to check that all windows and doors were locked while he was on the loose.
“He was targeting the homes of young girls,” Bouchard said, per the Detroit News. “It’s terrifying. Any adult would shudder at the thought, let alone a child.”
The teen’s parents are cooperating with police while he’s held at a county juvenile detention center with possible charges coming, the newspaper reported.
