Teenager indicted in crime spree

Bill Gang

Thursday, Dec. 10, 1998 | 11:19 a.m.

A 14-year-old boy was indicted Wednesday for a summer crime spree that included three teen-agers, two car-jackings and a pair of convenience store holdups.

Both car-jackings ended up with the vehicle's owners keeping their cars. In one case, the trio gave the owner, a woman with a 7-year-old, $50 for gas and damage to the car. In the other, the trio disabled the vehicle in front of the owner's house before they could drive it away.

Only one suspect, Amon Naquito Ball, has been arrested in the case, and now he will face charges of kidnapping, conspiracy and robbery as an adult. The indictment by a Clark County Grand Jury could put him in prison for life.

Chief District Judge Myron Leavitt set bail at more than $200,000 and scheduled an arraignment date of Dec. 15 in District Court.

The events began on July 14, when the masked trio car-jacked a 1994 Saturn driven by a 24-year-old woman. She and her boyfriend's 7-year-old son were ordered into the trunk by the gun-wielding bandits, but the trunk was full and the victims were put on the floor of the back seat, according to Deputy District Attorney Valerie Adair.

Armed with a sawed-off .22-caliber rifle with a "banana clip" of bullets and with their hostages tucked away, the trio set off to rob a 7-Eleven at 3001 S. Valley View Blvd.

The indictment alleges that Ball held the gun on the clerks while a second robber grabbed about $100 in cash and the third teen-ager waited outside as the getaway driver.

From there, they drove to a 7-Eleven at 4401 N. Rancho Dr., where they repeated the routine.

Adair said the bandits then drove the victims to a location near her home where they apologized for car-jacking "a sister." They explained to her that they had wanted to steal the car of a white person before robbing the stores to get money for food and clothes for their families.

Before leaving, the trio gave the woman $50 for the gasoline they used and to help pay for damage to the rear of the car that occurred when it was backed into a pole at one of the stores, Adair said.

The next day, according to the indictment, the teen-agers car-jacked a 1997 Honda Accord and ordered the man who owned it to move into the passenger's seat.

As one of the robbers was backing the car, the victim jumped out and ran to call help.

Adair said the car kept backing up and knocked the gun out of the hands of one bandit, sending the teen-agers scurrying to recover the weapon. Meanwhile, the car slammed into a nearby object, prompting the bandits to abandon their plans and flee on foot.

The victim testified that when he ventured back outside, he was surprised to find his car and no robbers.

Adair said that although the robbers in both cases wore masks and could not be identified by their victims, a tip to police led to the capture of Ball and the street names of the two others -- Shortie Mac and Moochie Mac.

The case also was delayed, because Ball originally was booked as a minor at the county's juvenile detention center, but he was certified as an adult by the juvenile judge because of the weapon and the violence.