An armed robbery at a Kitchener Rogers store ended when a 15-year-old boy and his accomplices ran out of gas in their getaway car. The Toronto-area youth pleaded guilty to robbery with a firearm and wearing a disguise following the takeover of the shop near Fischer-Hallman Road, according to the Waterloo Region Record.
The teen pointed a black Glock-style handgun at Rogers employees before escalating the violence back in September 2024. “He then racked the gun and fired a round into the ceiling,” Justice Frances Brennan said. The group fled with $29,000 in cellphones (taken from a locked closet) but was caught after their stolen getaway car was found abandoned on Highway 401 with an empty tank. Cellphones in the abandoned car showed texts detailing the plan to hijack the Rogers store.
The crime occurred just two weeks after the boy was involved in a $2.1 million jewelry heist in Mississauga. Despite the rapid escalation to firing a weapon, the sentencing has raised questions about whether the consequences match the crime.
Pointing a gun at the Rogers employees and then firing a shot was “a reckless and dangerous act and no doubt increased the emotional impact on the victims,” said Justice Brennan. Now that is some trauma that may last forever.
The teenager said in court he wanted to finish high school and do something with his life, claiming he was remorseful and regretted his decisions. Crown prosecutor Nicole Soehner sought 18 months of custody, but Justice Brennan sentenced the teen to 204 days in open custody, followed by 102 days of community supervision. The judge noted the boy showed remorse and had strong family support, aiming to “promote his rehabilitation and reintegration into society.”
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Sorry but that behavior should have required being charged as an adult, mandatory jail time of no less than 5 years, five years of probation afterwards and a lifetime ban on firearm ownership
As long as we have judges like this and a court system that allows them to run free with no consequences whatsoever, law-abiding citizens will continue to suffer in the hands of thugs.