FBI Houston looking for 'little rascals' accused of robbing Greenspoint-area Wells Fargo bank
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- FBI Houston is searching for a trio of boys accused of robbing a bank in the Greenspoint area. Investigators are calling the suspects "little rascals" on social media.
The robbery happened on Thursday at the Wells Fargo bank located at 10261 North Freeway.
Witnesses told officials the alleged bank robbers appeared to be between 14 and 18 years old. The trio left the bank on foot.
FBI Houston posted photos of the boys on social media, in hopes that someone might have information.
Anyone who recognizes the juvenile suspects is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
RELATED: Prosecutors seeing an uptick of teenagers charged with violent crimes: 'The numbers aren't lying'
The bank robbery comes as members of the juvenile division of the Harris County District Attorney's Office tell ABC13 the crime trends they're seeing among teenagers are concerning.
Leaders at the DA's office say while homicides are reducing overall in the county, the juvenile offender homicide rate has increased by 76% since 2021.
"The numbers aren't lying on those. We are seeing an uptick in particularly very violent crimes," Harris County District Attorney's Office 314th District Court Chief Allen Otto said.
"Sometimes older kids or even young adults are using younger kids because they know the consequences of being charged as a juvenile are likely not to be as severe as if you're charged as an adult," Otto said.
County data shows felony assaults have doubled when comparing January 2023 to January 2024.
He says their office seeks to certify minors to be tried as adults, mostly on violent offenses or those most likely to re-offend.
"The law says that a judge has final say on whether a kid stays in juvenile court or whether it gets moved over to adult court," Otto said.
Otto says while the juvenile violent crime numbers are concerning, within recent years, they've expanded and had success with the diversionary programs they provide teens.
At this point, they're studying recidivism rates from those programs.
