Northern Territory Police have charged an 11-year-old boy with aggravated robbery after alleged knife-point hold-ups at a fast-food restaurant and a hotel in central Darwin. An eight-year-old boy who police allege was also involved was taken home and placed in the care of a responsible adult.
Police said the pair were wearing balaclavas when they entered a Zambrero restaurant on Mitchell Street at about 11:50am. One of the boys allegedly pulled a knife on a worker and demanded money from the cash register before the staff member retreated to safety.
The boys then allegedly went to the Metro Hotel on Cavenagh Street, where they threatened a staff member with the knife and tried to search the reception desk before fleeing on foot, according to a Northern Territory Police spokesperson cited by ABC News Australia.
The older boy was remanded in custody and is due to face the youth justice court charged with aggravated robbery. Police did not charge the eight-year-old because he is below the age of criminal responsibility.
The incident was one of several recent youth-crime reports in the Northern Territory. Police also charged a 16-year-old after an alleged break-in at a home in Malak, where investigators said the teenager armed himself with a knife, damaged property and allegedly bit a man who tried to restrain him.
In a separate case, police arrested two 13-year-olds after a group of youths allegedly ransacked a Palmerston petrol station. Police said the group, aged between nine and 13, stole goods and cigarettes and that the youngest allegedly threatened a worker with scissors. Officers were continuing to search for three other youths, while police across the territory dealt with additional allegations involving teenagers.