California Schoolboys Robbed at Gunpoint Over Cheetos and Petty Cash

Stock photo of police tape marking a crime scene. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)

Two California teenagers stand accused of robbing two middle-schoolers at gunpoint over several dollars in cash and some snacks—including a bag of Cheetos.

Police cited by Fox 26 said the incident took place on Friday, Aug. 16, in Fresno, as the male victims were walking home from school.

The two boys had just bought some food when they were accosted by two teenagers, the sister of one of the schoolboys told the news outlet.

“I’m hungry, give me your chips,” one of the alleged robbers demanded, according to the sister, and brandished what looked like a handgun. She added the perpetrators robbed the boys of cash.

“We had $4,” one of the victims told Fox 26. “I had $1, and my friend had $3.” After the shaken schoolboys returned home, family members called the police.

Fresno Police Lt. Tim Tietjen told Fox 26 that an officer spotted the suspects at a bus stop eating Cheetos. He added that a search revealed the two—aged 16 and 17—had a BB gun in a backpack.

“We’re gonna treat the BB gun or whatever it is just like it was a real gun,” Tietjen told the news outlet. “The statute reads the same, it’s force or fear. In this case, it was both force and fear when they robbed these young [men].”

The officer said that if convicted, the suspects face up to nine years behind bars.

Man Holding Replica Machine Gun Shot to Death in Georgia

The incident follows the case of a Georgia man shot to death in Walton County while holding a replica machine gun.

According to an October 2018 news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, officers responded to a report of a man walking about one block away from Athens Technical College, while carrying what appeared to be a gun.

Mahlon Edward Summerour, 69, was wearing what looked like a curtain over his clothing when officers spotted him around 9 a.m., the GBI stated.

Officers said Summerour pointed the replica machine gun at one of the officers, prompting an officer to shoot him in the chest. He was killed by the gunshot.

“During the encounter, Summerour pointed the weapon at one of the officers,” Nelly Miles, public affairs director for the bureau, said in the statement. “One officer fired a shot at Summerour, striking him in the chest. Summerour was transported to a local hospital where he later died.”

A witness said that the gun looked real.

“We didn’t know it was a toy. I thought it was a real gun,” witness Malachi Sugars told WSB-TV.

Interim Police Chief R.V. Watts said the shooting was justified. “I have reviewed the video and I feel very comfortable with the officers’ actions taken in this,” he said.

Off-Duty Officer Shot in the Head at Fast Food Restaurant

The incident follows the case of an off-duty law enforcement officer who was shot in the head at a fast food restaurant in California.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy was at the counter in a Jack in the Box in Alhambra on June 10 when a man walked up and shot him in the head.

The gunman ran out of the restaurant after the shooting, which was captured on surveillance footage, sheriff Capt. Kent Wegener told reporters.

“There is no audio in the video, so we don’t know if words were exchanged,” Wegener said, reported the Pasadena Star-News. “He was off-duty in civilian clothes. There was nothing that would indicate that he was a law enforcement officer. He wasn’t wearing uniform pants. He wasn’t wearing uniform shoes. He did not have a holster or identification exposed. He was off-duty.”

The man who authorities said was captured on surveillance footage shooting an off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy in the head in a Jack in the Box in Alhambra, Calif. on June 10, 2019. (Los Angeles County Sheriff Department)

The gunman was spotted driving from the scene of the shooting in a white four-door Kia Sorento SUV with temporary paper license plates.

Surveillance footage obtained from a house near the restaurant showed the man stop the car, change out of his clothes, a red shirt, blue jeans, a light fedora hat, and sunglasses, into a black T-shirt and dark jeans, before getting back into the same car and driving away, according to KTLA.

The gunman was described as a white or Latino male in his 20s, standing around 5 feet 10 inches tall.

The vehicle the man who authorities said was captured on surveillance footage shooting an off-duty Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy got in after the shooting on June 10, 2019. (Los Angeles County Sheriff Department)

The critically injured deputy is a 13-year veteran of the department, reported the Los Angeles Times. He was rushed to County-USC Medical Center and was in critical condition.

NTD News reporter Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.