A teenager who used a starter s pistol to commit armed robberies, and later to shoot at police officers in Paterson NJ, has been sentenced to a lengthy term of incarceration.

The teen suspect is a 16-year-old boy from Paterson in Passaic County, New Jersey. He reportedly robbed at least three people on three separate occasions. During the first robbery on Carroll Street in Paterson, the suspect used a black revolver to threaten the victim. Police later determined that the gun was a starter s pistol that only fires blanks.

The suspect was apprehended after the third robbery, which also occurred on Carroll Street in Paterson, New Jersey. According to authorities, the suspect fired the fake gun at the victim and then at responding police officers.

Although the suspect is a minor, Passaic County prosecutors opted to charge him as an adult, not as a juvenile. If the suspect had faced juvenile charges, he would have likely to avoid incarceration because the NJ juvenile justice system emphasizes rehabilitation, not punishment. Instead, however, the suspect faced adult felony charges that carried severe penalties.

The suspect ultimately avoided trial by reaching a plea deal with the Passaic County Prosecutor s Office: he pleaded guilty to criminal charges for armed robbery, illegal drug possession, using a weapon against police, and other weapons offenses.

Now the 16-year-old suspect has been formally sentenced in the case. He recently appeared in Passaic County Superior Court and was sentenced to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison. The teenager will be required to serve a minimum of 85 percent of his prison sentence before he becomes eligible for release on parole.

For more information, read the NJ.com article, “Teen Robber Who Fired Fake Gun at Cops Sentenced to 10 Years.”