A teen snatched a gun from a Wichita man’s holster. A citizen’s tip led to his arrest
Wichita police say a citizen’s tip led to the arrest of a 14-year-old caught on home video last month snatching a gun out of a man’s holster.
Police released footage of the brazen theft Wednesday with the hope that taking the case public would help identify the teen responsible.
They were rewarded with a tip from a citizen that solved the case Thursday afternoon, Officer Kevin Wheeler said in an emailed news release.
A 14-year-old boy was arrested and booked into the local Juvenile Detention Facility on suspicion of committing an aggravated assault, theft and possession of paraphernalia, Wheeler said in the release. Authorities are planning to present the results of their investigation to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office for possible criminal charges, he said.
Police said Wednesday that the teen on Feb. 14 sneaked up behind the 31-year-old Wichita man in the 800 block of North Chautauqua and yanked a 9 mm handgun from a holster on the man’s waist. The man was crouched down, working on a car at the time.
The teen immediately pointed the gun at the man, told him to “back away” and then ran down an alley, police said. When the man chased him, the teen allegedly fired one shot before disappearing.
This story was originally published March 7, 2019 at 3:28 PM.
