Surveillance cameras catch criminals in the act all the time, but rarely are they ever as young as one that hit a Pembroke Gardens Mall nail salon.
The boy, who doesn't even appear to be 10 years old, is caught committing a felony in a surveillance video from Sunday.
"I was just sad, and sick to my stomach that a little kid could actually do something like that," nail salon employee Tuan Tran said. "That's just not right, you know?"
The video shows what happened just before closing time at 6 p.m.
In the video, the boy took a purse from a locker in the break room, then ran around the corner to empty it out. He shoved $900 in his pocket – money the employee just got from cashing her paycheck the day before.
"She was just devastated," Tran said. "She worked so hard, and then to have your money taken in just a blink of an eye. It was just sad."
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Adding salt to the wound, the video shows the boy skipped right by the woman he just stole from on his way out the front door.
"I have a feeling he had someone outside waiting for him," Tran said. "Who lets their 8- or 9-year-old kids run around? I think they planned it."
Now, employees and customers at the salon have a plan – keep their money locked up, and their eyes peeled.
"I just hope they catch this kid because when he grows up, I don't want him to end up a statistic," Tran said.
If you recognize the boy in the video or have any information about the incident, call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.
