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Atlanta police officer finds teenage 'bottle boy' found with gun

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Published  July 24, 2020 6:55pm EDT
Atlanta
FOX 5 Atlanta

ATLANTA - For the second time in a week, police discovered one of the children who offer water for sale was carrying more than water.

An observant officer noticed a bulge in the pocket of one of the "bottle boys".

The officer asked about it, and the 16-year-old responded it was a cell phone.

Bottle boy found armed

An Atlanta police officer confiscated a gun from a 16-year-old bottle boy.

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The officer asked again and eventually, the boy admitted he had a weapon. It was a fully loaded Smith and Wesson 380-caliber.

The boy was detained near Phipps Plaza in Buckhead. Not far from the same area, a 14-year-old had a weapon and it was confiscated.

Police have stepped up patrols, watching the youngsters who are able to earn hundreds of dollars on a good day.

Calls for bottle boys to be cleared from Atlanta streets after violence

Calls are growing for Atlanta city leaders to do something about the so-called bottle boys.

It's believed some of these boys are arming themselves to try to protect their earnings.

When police called about the 16-year-old, Fulton Court authorities said they were not going to put him in detention. The youngster does not have enough points on his record.

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