Children With Guns: 12-Year-Old New York Boy Holds Girl At Gunpoint For Chicken Nugget

A 12-year-old boy has been taken into custody by the New York Police Department for allegedly holding his classmate at gunpoint and demanding a chicken nugget, according to reports Thursday. The boy is facing robbery charges, police said.

The boy, whose name has been withheld because he is a minor, pulled up the gun at the girl Tuesday at Lexington Avenue and East 103rd Street McDonald’s food chain and demanded the chicken nugget, according to police. The girl refused and walked away, however, he followed her and demanded the snack again. She then smacked the weapon away and told the boy to leave her alone and boarded a train. She reportedly saw him pointing the gun at another child.

The girl reported the incident to school officials Wednesday, when police took the boy into custody. The case will be referred to Family Court.

Police are yet to recover the gun. Law enforcement sources told New York Post that the boy would often show off the gun to other children.

Last December, an investigation by the Associated Press and USA Today Network found that official figures of minors killed by accidental or unintentional gun discharges significantly undermine the gravity of problem in the U.S. However, supporters of the firearms industry, including groups like the National Rifle Association, have said that accidental child gun deaths are rare and voluntary education instead of regulation can solve the issue.