Teen fires gun during attempted ‘beer run’ at Dollar General

Two juveniles were arrested after police said one of them fired a gun while attempting to steal beer from a Dollar General store in Desert Hot Springs on Sunday night.

According to the Desert Hot Springs Police Department, officers were called to the store at 13721 Palm Drive shortly after 8 p.m. A store employee told police he saw two juveniles approach the store from the rear.

The employee suspected the juveniles were going to commit a ‘beer run’ due to a recent increase in beer theft at the store, so he decided to wait around for them to return.

The victim told police the two juveniles walked to the back of the store and one of them was holding a pack of beer. When the victim approached the suspects, he told officers a short confrontation occurred and one of the juveniles pulled out a gun and it discharged during the confrontation.

Officers said the victim wasn’t hurt and both juveniles were identified and arrested the next day. Both suspects were booked into Juvenile Hall in Indio.