PBSO: Teen robbed woman at gunpoint
WEST PALM BEACH — A teen knocked on the door of a suburban West Palm Beach woman’s home in March, pushed his way into her residence, pointed a gun at her head, then stole money and jewelry, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’s Office.
Edward Hamilton, who was arrested Tuesday, faces charges of robbery with a firearm and armed burglary, according to court records. The 17-year-old Riviera Beach resident is being charged as an adult and remained in the Palm Beach County Jail early Thursday on $150,000 bail.
On March 26, a woman heard someone knocking at her door in the 500 block of Merrimac Terrace, south of Gun Club Road and west of Haverhill Road, just before 2 a.m. The woman said she opened the door, thinking it may have been her boyfriend’s brother, and was greeted by Hamilton, who she said she recognized from “a past interac tion.” The report does not indicate the nature of the interaction.
The woman said Hamilton looked to his left and nodded, and a second male came out of nowhere with a silver handgun. The unidentified individual tried to make his way into the home. The woman was able to close the door on his arm for a minute, but he overpowered her. Another person remained outside the home as Hamilton and the other male went through the residence, the report said.
The woman said she got down on the floor in fear as they demanded to know “where the stuff was,” deputies said. The woman said she told them her purse was in the kitchen and had money. At one point, the woman told investigators Hamilton put a gun to her head before going into her bedroom and stealing jewelry from a nightstand.
The two people involved in the incident other than Hamilton were not identified in the report, possibly because of their ages.
It’s unclear from the court record if Hamilton was originally charged as a juvenile and the St ate Attorney ’s Office then decided to charge him as an adult.