WASHINGTON — Prosecutors say they expect to offer a plea deal "in short order" to the young D.C. boy accused in a sudden, violent burst of robberies and carjackings that included an attack with a hammer.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Andrea Hertzfeld on Wednesday ordered the boy held in a secure juvenile detention facility at least until the next hearing on May 12 Assistant Attorney General Matthew Emmick said the boy already has a history of lawbreaking, and escape.
WUSA9 was only allowed to attend the juvenile court hearing after agreeing to withhold anything that might identify the boy, including his age, although his age was released by DC police after his arrest last week.
The small child sat at a large table in a youth detention center during the remote hearing, nervously clasping his hands, and eventually losing focus after Emmick said he hoped to offer him a plea deal in the next couple of weeks.
The child is the alleged suspect in a three-week string of 11 attacks, including an assault on a woman as she put away the garbage cans at her son’s home in Northeast, D.C., which was caught on camera.
"My mom, she’s a pretty tough woman, but it could definitely have gotten a lot worse," said her son, Forest Krueger. "Guy had his hand in his pocket the whole time, so he could potentially of had a weapon."
Police say he did have a gun when he robbed a woman on G St NE in late March. And again when he carjacked a woman on D St. Southeast on April 12. And when he stole a car, assaulted a woman, and carjacked a man, all in a single day.
On 12th Street, NE, the boy is accused of hitting a woman in the back of the head with a hammer when she hesitated to give him the keys to her car.
Juvenile Services says he’ll get mental health counseling.
Despite all his alleged crimes, Judge Hertzfeld said the teen's doing well in school, despite his alleged history. His lawyer, Howard Marguiles, said he is hoping to advance two grades after taking a college and career assessment test in the next few weeks.
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