14-year-old arrested for stealing student’s iPad

Police arrested a teenager accused of stealing a school-issued iPad from a student walking to Bobby Duke Middle School in Coachella.

According to a release from the Coachella Police Department, a 14-year-old Hispanic boy was taken into custody around 9 a.m. Wednesday in the 85000 block of Damascus Avenue. He was booked into Indio Juvenile Hall for strong-arm robbery.

The iPad was recovered in the 48000 block of Estrella Pedro and is being returned to the Bobby Duke Middle School, officers said in the release.

The robbery occurred on Tuesday when a 13-year-old boy was walking to school with a friend at about 9:15 a.m. The victim wasn’t injured during the theft, officer said.

Officials with the Coachella Valley Unified School District are now reminding students to keep personal belongings such as iPads in their backpacks and to use the ‘buddy system’ when walking to and from school. They also want to remind children to be aware of their surroundings.

School officials notified parents of Tuesday morning’s incident and more security and police officers began patrolling the area.