Oak Cliff robbery victims worry juvenile suspects could get minimal punishment

A husband and wife seen on surveillance video being robbed by a group of teens in Oak Cliff are concerned their attackers could get only a slap on the wrist.

The couple said it was told by Dallas police investigators that the six suspects would likely just receive probation, if that, because they are all 16 or younger.

The dramatic video shows three juveniles jumping out of a car and swarming Garrett and Caroline Scharton with a shotgun and at least one pistol early Sunday in Oak Cliff. The suspects were later caught in Mesquite.

It was later discovered the group was behind three other aggravated robberies.

The couple has since taken to Facebook to voice some of their concerns -- such as the suspects receiving minimal punishments due to their age.

“I don't want to destroy anyone's life. These are kids at the end of the day. But the violent kids and what they did was commit several felonies in a very short amount of time,” said Caroline Scharton. “They need to be punished for that.”

The chief prosecutor of Dallas County Juvenile Services said it is possible to request that a child be tried as an adult, but ultimately the decision is up to the judge. She said society needs to do a better job at getting guns out of the hands of children.

“We see an escalation in the seriousness of crimes that children are involved in and this is very serious issue that we have to work on. Not just the DAs office but the entire system in our society in terms of what we are providing in order to prevent children from committing crimes,” chief prosecutor Rhonda Hunter said.

The suspects remain in custody at the Henry Wade Juvenile Justice Center.