Parents turn in kids after seeing burglary video on TV

FAYETTEVILLE, NC -- The parents of two teens involved in a Fayetteville store burglary have turned their sons in to police after seeing the surveillance footage on ABC11.

Police said Thursday that the parents of 14- and 16-year-old brothers returned home from Watch Night Service, had recorded the evening news, and recognized their sons in the surveillance.

"I'm just glad the parents decided to do the right thing," said Jesse Hill, the co-owner of Tech Boyz, who provided the surveillance video to ABC11.

The video, which aired on New Year's Eve, showed five teens breaking into the store at 2126 Hope Mills Road. The break-in happened around 3:30 a.m. Monday, and showed the teens taking off with laptops, cell phones, and other items.

The incident lasted less than a minute, and one of nine cameras also captured the teens racing off into a neighborhood behind the store.

Police said the parents told detectives that their sons were supposed to be staying with an older sibling that evening. The boys said they decided to go out with friends, and gave into peer pressure.

Another 17-year-old involved in the break-in is being processed in the Cumberland County jail. Police are still working to identify the final two teens in the video.

Police did not immediately announce charges or identify the teens.

Hill said he and his business partner have lost thousands of dollars because of the storefront damage, extra security measures they've set in place, and customer reimbursements. The cell phones belonged to people who had dropped them off to be repaired.

"To the ones who turned them in, thank you." said Hill. "I hate it it's your kids, but thank you for doing the right thing."

When asked whether he had a message for the boys, Hill laughed, "I hope you learned a lesson."