13-year-old arrested following armed robbery at Academy Sports

A 13-year-old Alabaster resident was arrested after an armed robbery, according to Hoover Police.

The incident was reported on Oct. 10, and Hoover Police arrived at the Academy Sports on John Hawkins Parkway around 5:30 p.m. The victim he was approached by a man while walking to his car. The suspect pulled out a pistol and demanded property from the victim, according to police. The victim realized the gun was actually a BB gun that looked like a pistol and wrestled the gun away. Lt. Keith Czeskleba said it is fortunate no one got hurt. Two things stuck out to him in this case.

“Number one, just the resemblance of the suspect’s weapon to an actual gun is scary,” he said. “It is scary how close they make BB guns to now look like weapons … What’s even more concerning is that we do have a 13-year-old out committing an armed robbery.”

The teenage suspect reportedly ran from the scene after the victim wrestled the gun away, and he was captured by an off-duty Hoover detective and patrol officer who were in the area.

The teenager, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, was transported to the Jefferson County Juvenile Detention Center and charged with first degree robbery. A juvenile petition has been obtained.

Along with a press release on the arrest, Hoover PD released a photo of the BB gun used in the robbery sitting next to a .22 caliber Smith and Wesson handgun. The similarities mean someone could not easily tell the difference from a distance, Czeskleba said, and the victim might have had an advantage of being close to the BB gun and therefore able to see the difference.