Posted on 06/16/2005 9:45:18 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
OAKLAND — A 13-year-old foster child who admitted killing a neighbor's pet rabbits in March is now facing criminal charges that he snatched a woman's purse, police confirmed Wednesday. After his arrest Friday, the North Oakland boy told police it was the first time he had ever done such a thing, adding, "I'm sorry."
The purse-snatching victim, a 31-year-old Oakland woman, was walking along Claremont Avenue about 7 p.m. after getting off a BART train.
A witness who saw the woman's purse being taken followed the boy in a car.
The boy hid the purse in some bushes behind an apartment building on 59th Street and was later stopped by police officers near 58th Street and Shattuck Avenue after they spotted him running into the street from between parked cars.
About the same time he was telling officers he had stolen a woman's purse, the witness who had followed him arrived and told officers what she had seen, police said.
The boy told officers where the purse was.
The victim, who had been searching for her purse with her boyfriend afterfinding its contents strewn on the street, identified the boy as the purse snatcher.
The boy was booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of grand theft.
He was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty last month after he admitted killing three of his neighbor's pet rabbits.
The boy lives with elderly foster parents in North Oakland. He had been asked to stay out of the neighbor's yard because of past behavior against her rabbits. The neighbor, Asia Grey, said he would chase them and throw glass and stones at them from over the fence.
But after high winds knocked down a fence separating their yards in March, the boy chased three of Grey's 13 rabbits under a set of porch stairs and killed them by throwing clumps of bricks and tar at them.
Although he admitted to killing the rabbits, the boy told authorities he was only trying to get them to come out from under the stairs.
Grey and numerous animal rights activists pushed for felony animal abuse charges against the boy, saying his behavior toward the bunnies was the mark of someone with serious emotional problems and potentially violent.
"He needs some serious therapy," Grey said Wednesday. She would like to see the boy removed from his current home to a place where he would receive closer supervision and support.
Alameda County Assistant District Attorney Walter Jackson charged the boy with misdemeanor animal cruelty last month. He said at the time the misdemeanor charge would expedite intervention for the boy, whereas a felony charge could get caught up in lengthy litigation.
The boy was expected to appear in Alameda County Juvenile Court in July for sentencing on the animal cruelty charges.
Jackson could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
A potential serial killer here.
What he needs is a good tazing or pistol whipping from an intended victim.
I'd venture to offer a form of therapy,but it's against FR's rules.
Gee, I don't know. Little bunnies with pistols? ;-)
The defense will put up a picture of his grammar school graduation, and say he's "an honor student".
Anybody killing my pets had better look over his shoulder from then on.
Yup. If he has set fires or is a bedwetter this kid is practically programmed as a killer.
Rabbit killer? For a minute there, I thought this would be about Jimmy Carter.
Yeah, lock him up for life now. It's not to soon.
Your right as rain, well on his way. Hope it set off
some bells and whistles.
Now, now, he's just misunderstood.
(Although I am surprised that PETA didn't have him put away for good...)
I thought I read "CA: Killer rabbit arrested in purse snatch".
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