Police hunt for 'mother and son' crooks who robbed cigarette store at gunpoint

• Armed robbery captured on CCTV
• At one point during the robbery, the ten-year-old boy calls the older woman 'mom'
• Police have asked anyone who has seen the pair to get in touch - but not to approach them

By Rachel Rickard Straus

PUBLISHED: 04:54 EST, 16 November 2012 | UPDATED: 05:20 EST, 16 November 2012

Police are searching a woman and a young boy whom they believe to be her son after the pair robbed a cigarette store at gunpoint.

Police are disturbed that the mother involved a child in the armed robbery and say her actions could have resulted in murder, West Valley Fox13 reports.

‘What’s weird is the mother/son thing. At one point during the robbery he calls her mom,’ Lieutenant Michael Coleman with West Valley Police told the station.

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Preparation: The pair can be seen approaching the counter. The young boy is wearing a white and blue hooded sweater with his arms folded. It later emerges he is holding a note, which he shows the clerk to demand money

The pair entered the West Valley store in Utah on Saturday afternoon and paced around until other customers left.

The ten-year-old boy can be seen in CCTV footage in the Smokes-4-Less store at 3392 South 5600 West, wearing a white and blue jacket and holding a note to his chest. The woman he is with is between 18 and 35-years-old, according to police.

The pair then go up to the counter and the child hands the clerk a note – believed to be demanding money.

Within seconds, the woman pulls out a silver gun and points it in the clerk’s face. Her aggression continues as she grabs cartons of cigarettes – fortunately no shots were fired.

Edging closer: The pair move towards the counter just before they confront the clerk

The pair then snatch up the stolen goods and run out of the store, leaving the clerk shaken.

‘We were very concerned that this may have resulted in something much worse than it did,’ West Valley Police Sergeant Mike Powell told the station. 

‘We’re definitely concerned there could be a repeat of this and she could be just as aggressive or even more and someone can get hurt,’ he added.

The pair were last seen driving off in a silver or grey Dodge Durango. Police have asked for anyone who recognises them to call the police, and not to confront them.

Demand: The young boy holds up a note to the clerk, believed to be demanding money

Threat: The woman pulls out a silver pistol, which she points directly at the clerk

Snatch: The woman then leans across the counter to grab cartons of cigarettes

Intimidating: The woman can be seen coming right up close to the clerk, who was left shaken by the whole incident

Escape: The pair can be seen running out of the cigarette store, the older woman leading the way