Police arrested 12- and 14-year-old boys and a 13-year-old girl, among other suspects, for their roles in a carjacking and escape in Manassas Wednesday morning.
The boys were armed with stolen BB guns, which the victims thought were handguns, police said.
Police are still seeking one more person who may have been involved in the crime.
The victims, a man and woman, had just parked their car in front of their home on Community Drive in Manassas at about 9 a.m. Wednesday when they were approached by three armed suspects.
The victims had no idea the weapons were BB guns, they told News4's Jackie Bensen. "One guy held a gun to my face," the woman said, her voice waivering. "They said, 'Shut up.'"
They stole not only the victims' minivan but also rent money and a tablet computer that the couple had bought for their daughter, Bensen reported.
The suspects apparently went to a nearby mall and picked up friends, including a 13-year-old girl. That girl drove the stolen car to a McDonalds on Portsmouth Road.
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That's where officers spotted the stolen car. A wild arrest followed: As the officers approached the stolen car, the seven people inside tried to escape, with four of them running off on foot.
The girl had left the car in drive, and it crashed into a concrete pillar. Police apprehended the three still inside, then used a K-9 to search for the four that had escaped. They found one of them, a 17-year-old man.
The 12-year-old and 14-year-old suspects were later found and arrested at an address on Albemarle Dr. They are both charged with carjacking and use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
The 13-year-old girl was arrested and charged with receiving stolen property, destruction of property and reckless driving. The 17-year-old was charged with receiving stolen property.
Police are still seeking another suspect, described as a black male, around 17 years of age, 5’9”, thin build with a tear drop tattoo under his left eye and a lazy right eye. The others in the car were not charged.
