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CMPD: Juveniles tied to 38 violent crimes since Raise the Age law took effect

“Hopefully, long term what we find is kids aren't spending time incarcerated learning to become better criminals, they have different opportunities.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — WCNC Charlotte is learning about the new impact of the Raise the Age law on Charlotte. The law makes it so 16 and 17 year-olds are treated as juveniles, instead of adults in the criminal justice system.  

On Wednesday, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released new numbers about how many have been charged with violent crimes since the law took effect. 

It comes just a day after police say a 17-year-old was one of two suspects involved in a violent crime spree in South Charlotte.

RELATED: Carjacking suspect shot by Good Samaritan in Ballantyne, police say

Police say it’s too early to tell the long-term impact, but the law is already having a short-term impact.

It was around 6:20 a.m. on Tuesday when Burton Fulton says his wife heard a startling sound.

“My wife heard screaming,” Fulton said. “Grabbed my shotgun and ran across the street.”

Fulton says that’s when he found his fellow neighbors trying to detain an armed suspect in his Ballantyne neighborhood.

“I held him (the suspect) at gunpoint trying to figure out what was going on,” Fulton said.

The suspect was among two teenagers who police said were involved in a violent crime spree that morning.  

Police said the suspects fired shots after they were confronted by a man for trying to break into his wife’s car, then one teenager tried to rob a man at another location.  

A short time later, an adult teenager crashed a stolen car during a police pursuit. An hour and a half after that, Fulton confronted the other suspect, a 17-year-old, who police say tried to carjack a woman at a home.

“I had no idea he was a 17-year-old guy until the middle of the day,” Fulton said. “To me, he just looked like a big guy who was here to do bad things.”

Another armed neighbor shot the 17-year-old during the struggle and he suffered non-life threatening injuries. 

A day later, CMPD released new crime numbers, since the Raise the Age law took effect.

RELATED: 30 new or amended NC laws in effect as of December 1, 2019

“We have to deal with dangerous people who happen to be 16 and 17 years old,” CMPD Captain Mike Campagna said.

The law makes it so 16 and 17-year-old’s charged with crimes are considered juveniles, not adults.  

So far, CMPD says there have been a total of 38 suspects charged with violent crimes, 32 of those for armed robberies, and one murder since the law took effect.

“It does create a burden for us,” Captain Campagna said.

Captain Campagna says in the short term, it’s a stress on time and resources.

“A simple arrest of an adult may take two hours to get them to jail, a simple arrest of a juvenile may take 5 hours,” Captain Campagna said.  “Hopefully, long term what we find is kids aren't spending time incarcerated learning to become better criminals, they have different opportunities.”

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