Father of 9-year-old boy robbed of $282 at Brooklyn Target speaks out

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Father of boy robbed at Brooklyn Target speaks out
CeFaan Kim has the story.

FORT GREENE, Brooklyn (WABC) -- The father of a young boy allegedly robbed by two men at a Target in Brooklyn is speaking out.

"What they did was a horrible thing," said Mohamed Square, the victim's father.

Mohamed Square is the little boy's father.

He is relieved his son was unharmed, but not so happy with what police say these suspects did to his kid.

It was last week, Tuesday around 5:30 p.m. when it happened.

You can see as the boy with light saber in hand rifles through iPads at a Target store in downtown Brooklyn, and waving around a wad of cash.

That's his second mistake.

Why was the 9-year-old there alone?

Well that was his first mistake.

"He's not supposed to leave. He knows that," his father said.

He was being watched after school by his father's friend inside a 99-cent store, but he snuck out.

He left his book bag and his jacket behind on a cold night, to make it look like he was still here.

His dad's friend didn't even notice he was gone.

The boy then walked two and half blocks to the train station.

Apparently, he bought himself a MetroCard then took the train from Flatbush to Downtown Brooklyn.

He told his dad he found the money in an envelope on the street earlier in the day.

And once these suspects spotted him holding all that cash, cops say they convinced him they could sell him a cheap Xbox console.

So he followed them outside.

His father says that was his third mistake, talking to strangers.

"One of them boys choked him, grabbed him over his mouth and then took his money from him. Yeah, covered his mouth so he won't scream," Square said.

$282 they stole from him.

His dad says he's really sorry, and pretty shaken up from the whole thing.

"You can't get mad. First thing, I just put him down to be comfortable. I didn't talk to him for two days. I just leave him for him to feel sorry, stuff like that. He was nervous. So I told him it is fine, just don't do it. Just don't do it," Square said.

After what happened, let's hope he never does it again.

As for the suspects, cops are asking anyone with information to give them a call.