13-year-old boy charged in string of robberies in Oshawa, Ont.

OSHAWA, Ont. – A 13-year-old boy is facing charges in a string of robberies in a community east of Toronto.

Durham regional police say the boy is accused of participating in a Sept. 7 incident in which a group of seven youth surrounded a man and woman – both 31 – on an Oshawa, Ont., bike path and displayed weapons, including a knife, hammer and brass knuckles.

Investigators say the man was punched several times and a girl in the group pushed the woman, but the couple did not give any property to the assailants, who fled when another man approached on the path.

The boy is charged with robbery with an offensive weapon and possession of a weapon for committing an offence in connection with that incident.

The boy is additionally charged in the robbery of two people in a park on Aug. 20 and with robbing a 10-year-old boy who was also assaulted on Sept. 7.

Police say he is being held for a bail hearing and are appealing for the public’s help in identifying the other suspects.