Boy, 12, charged with robbing coffee stand on bike near Seattle

By Jonathan Kaminsky OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) - A 12-year-old boy was charged with armed robbery for allegedly riding his bike up to a drive-through coffee stand in Washington state and taking the tip jar at gunpoint, police said on Wednesday. The boy, whose name has not been released because of his age, was later arrested and charged with two counts of robbery after police said he confessed to also robbing a convenience store in the city of Everett, north of Seattle. "Everett is sometimes known as a little bit of a tougher town," said police spokesman Aaron Snell. "But typically we don't have 12-year-olds running around robbing people." The boy biked up to the Hillbilly Hotties coffee stand last week and ordered a fruit smoothie, said shop owner Jovanna Edge. When handed the drink, he reached into his backpack, pulled out a handgun, and threatened to shoot the woman who served him. "She handed him the tip jar and he got away with a whole $15," Edge said. "He didn't even think to open the cash register. It was sitting over in the corner." Police said they apprehended the boy four days later upon reviewing surveillance footage. They also linked him to an armed robbery at Peck's Drive Market grocery store in Everett late last month. The boy was being held on a $10,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday in juvenile court. (Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Andrew Hay)