Three local teenagers used toy guns to hold up a University employee in the Venable neighborhood, robbing her of $7 Wednesday night.
The victim, 24, was sitting against a wall Wednesday night on the 100 block of 13th St. NW, near the corner of Wertland Street.
At about 10 p.m., two males approached her, each armed with what appeared to be pistols but actually were a BB gun and cap gun and not authentic weapons, police said.
One of the suspects reportedly pointed a "pistol" at the woman and allegedly demanded, "Give me your money."
The victim handed over $7 to the two young men, Charlottesville Police Lt. Gary Pleasants said.
A third suspect was watching around the corner during the incident, Pleasants said.
The victim and a witness called the police and reported the alleged assault. Within three minutes, city police arrested the two young males armed with the fake weapons.
The police found $5 on the two suspects.
The police later arrested the third suspect at 2 a.m.
The three teens are being held at Staunton Juvenile Holding Facility, Pleasants said.
The three suspects, two 16-year-olds and one 15-year-old, all are charged with armed robbery. The suspects' names were not released because of their ages.
Attacks with toy guns are not very common in the city, Pleasants said. But he said it does "happen every once in a while."
The fact that the two suspects used toy guns rather than actual guns does not affect the crime they are charged with, he added.
"It does not matter within the law what weapon is used," Pleasants said. "If something similar is used, it is an armed robbery"
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