Boys aged 7, 10, & 12 beat mentally disabled woman with rock in Philadelphia robbery

**pwaldo** · 08-08-2012, 04:58 PM

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...n-robbery.html

Police in Philadelphia are investigating a shocking robbery after three young boys, aged just 7, 10 and 12, broke into a mentally-disabled woman's house and beat her with a rock, a potted plant and a toilet plunger.

Neighbors found the 51-year-old woman in her back yard Monday afternoon kneeling on the ground with her face in her hands. She was still begging for her life after the boys fled with her purse.

The boys ransacked the woman's home, demanding money, and beat her when she didn't give them what they wanted, detectives say.

The 10-year-old boy is the victim's neighbor. Police quickly identified him and took him into custody, CBS 3 Philadelphia reports.

Officers believe they have also identified the other two boys and are tracking them down.

'It doesn’t surprise me. A lot of these kids, they hang around with older kids and they learn how to do things like this,' horrified neighbor Edward Pastoriza said.

Friends of the victim told CBS 3 that the boys followed her home from the laundromat and ambushed her.

'It’s amazing that these kids so young can be so violent,' Lt O’Hanlon said.

The woman was taken to the hospital to be treated for cuts and bruises.

Police said the mother of the 10-year-old boy knew he had done something wrong as soon as officers arrived at her door.