Three juvenile gang members arrested in robbing necklace from mother walking child

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Three kids, who police say were gang members, were arrested after allegedly taking a woman’s necklace while she was walking with her child on Ming Avenue.

The Bakersfield Police Department said on Wednesday, March 18th, 2026, detectives assigned to the Bakersfield Police Department’s Organized Retail Theft Unit (ORT) were conducting surveillance in a shopping mall in the 3000 block of Ming Avenue when they saw three people rob a woman who was walking with her child.

Police said the three people involved were juveniles.

According to police, the kids worked together to forcefully take a necklace from the woman’s neck. As detectives attempted to intervene, the suspects ran away.

All three were apprehended and booked into juvenile hall for multiple charges, including robbery, resisting arrest, and participation in a criminal street gang.

In the release, it said, “The ORT is an investigative unit dedicated to working with retailers on criminal investigations of retail theft rings to disrupt operations, recover stolen property and arrest those responsible.”