12-year-old threatens Rochester Hills Walmart employees with airsoft gun

Oakland County Sheriff says boy's 19-year-old brother was shoplifting in store

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. Quaze Lanehart, 19, was arrested after he went on a wild shoplifting spree inside a Rochester Hills Walmart, according to police.

Lanehart first was spotted in the Walmart's electronics department. He allegedly was loading up his cart with pricey TVs and notebooks. Instead of paying, he just pushed the cart outside.

"He went past all of the points to pay and was on his way out," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.

Store security spotted him and brought him back inside for questioning. Police say that's when things got out of hand.

"He grabbed a pair of scissors and threatened to kill the store employees that were trying to detain him," said Bouchard.

Security followed Lanehart outside. Then, Walmart employees witnessed a real shocker. Lanehart's 12-year-old brother stepped out of a car pointing his airsoft gun at employees. The weapon looked like the real deal.

The boy allegedly told security to step back or they would be shot.

"Obviously that child is in a path with a very, very bad ending because of his relatives or whoever he is hanging around with. So hopefully this will be some intervention for the 12-year-old to get him on a different path," said Bouchard. "The 19-year-old has got a lot of serious charges."

Lanehart will be in court on Thursday facing felonious assault and theft charges. The 12-year-old boy was handed over to his parents. He likely will face some charges in juvenile court.

Lanehart was wanted on a domestic violence charge.


About the Author:

Hank Winchester is Local 4’s Consumer Investigative Reporter and the head of WDIV’s “Help Me Hank” Consumer Unit. Hank works to solve consumer complaints, reveal important recalls and track down thieves who have ripped off people in our community.