Children, 11 to 14, arrested in string of violent robberies

We should all be this active at 77.

"Every day. Got to get to 10,000 steps," said Ray Johnson as he strode briskly down the street.

The Sunday before last, as Ray Johnson was walking around the southwest Houston neighborhood where he has lived since 1972, three kids interrupted his walk. They grabbed his stick, hit him with it,  and then it got really scary.

"When you see a big black gun pointing right at you it makes you wonder, is this it?"

He yelled for help. Some neighbors came out and the boys ran. Investigators with Pct. 5 noticed the attack fit a pattern of similar aggravated robberies in the area. They caught two of the boys after they stole a gas can and admitted they were going to use it to torch their car they stole in a carjacking. 

"When asked what the reasoning was behind these brutal attacks, what was the rationale behind what they were doing, they said and I quote 'we did it for kicks,'" said Constable Ted Heap.

They have four juveniles, ages 11 to 14, in custody and someone is snitching. Investigators have identified another and they believe there is a sixth. They've connected them to nine robberies but think the real number is closer to 25.

Now, back to Ray. If you think he looks like Santa, it's because he is. He's been mall Santa for years because he loves kids. And because he loves kids, he doesn't believe his attackers are beyond redemption.

"I don't want them to be sorry because they got caught. I want them to be sorry for what they've done, so they can change their attitudes," Ray says.

If you have any information that can help investigators, you are asked to call Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-TIPS.