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On Friday, a 17-year-old male juvenile was arrested and transported to the Florida Parishes Detention Center after an investigation determined he committed an armed robbery on Fairgrounds Road in Franklinton, according to Chief Criminal Deputy Mike Haley of the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office.

“The juvenile approached a parked vehicle in which two persons were sitting,” Haley said. “The juvenile, wearing a dark hoodie and a face covering, robbed the couple at gunpoint, taking their cell phones and the male occupant’s wallet. The male occupant, who had a handgun resting on the seat beside his leg, exited the vehicle and confronted the juvenile robber. Shots were fired and the juvenile’s vehicle was struck multiple times as he fled.”

Haley said that the juvenile then drove to his grandmother’s house and reported that his vehicle had been shot at while he traveled on Louisiana Highway 430. The Sheriff’s Office responded and officers were able to determine there was no shooting on Highway 430 and that the juvenile was the person who committed the armed robbery on Fairgrounds Road, Haley said.

Due to the age of the suspect, no photo or name will be released.

“This is not something one would normally expect to occur at that location,” Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal said. “However, when a person has criminal intent, location is not an issue. It could happen anywhere. Before the Louisiana legislature raised the juvenile age to include those persons who are 17 years of age, this robber would have been in the Washington Parish Jail.”