13-year-old arrested in SE Houston, caught on camera beating up man over a cigarette

HOUSTON – Police have a 13-year-old in custody and need your help finding three other young men on the run after they were caught on video beating and robbing a man in southeast Houston over a cigarette.

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This all happened on June 12 around 5 pm, according to the Houston Police Department’s Robbery Division. Surveillance video shows an unidentified man buying something at a convenience store on Cullen Boulevard off the 610 S Loop when several young men approached him.

Police said the young men asked the customer “for a cigarette.” He declined to give them one, so they went outside to the parking lot and waited for him to leave the store.

As the man was leaving, investigators said in a press release the young men ran up and attacked him, punching him in the face several times before taking his wallet and running away.

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While a police report was being filed, one of the attackers, identified as a 13-year-old boy, returned to the scene and was arrested there. The three other attackers are still on the run and their ages have not been disclosed, as of this writing.

Crime Stoppers of Houston is offering a cash reward of up to $5,000 for any information leading to charges and/or arresting the attackers in this case by calling 713-222-TIPS (8477) or going online.