11-year-old shatters store’s glass door with hammer, steals vape cartridges, MA cops say

An 11-year-old boy shattered a convenience store’s glass door with a hammer and tried stealing an assortment of vape cartridges in Massachusetts, police say.

The child told officers he broke into the store looking for “something to eat” when they arrived at the 7-Eleven in South Boston shortly after 4 a.m. on Aug. 22, according to a news release from the Boston Police Department. This came after a witness called 911 about a breaking and entering.

However, officers say a search of the boy’s bag did not reveal food inside — only vape cartridges.

These cartridges, which can be flavored, typically contain the addictive substance nicotine.

The boy was not charged because of his age, but his parents were notified, according to police.

Officers then provided the child’s family with relevant support services, the release says.

This story was originally published August 22, 2022 at 1:56 PM with the headline "11-year-old shatters store’s glass door with hammer, steals vape cartridges, MA cops say."

Julia Marnin

McClatchy DC

Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy’s National Real-Time Team, she’s also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.