DES MOINES, Iowa — Five juveniles between the ages of 14 to 16 are charged in connection with several thefts over the weekend that police are calling particularly “bold.”

The first one occurred inside Star Bar on Ingersoll Avenue shortly after noon on Saturday. Police say one of the juveniles grabbed a purse off of a table there. The same thing happened a short time later at Ingersoll Tap just down the street. The victim at Ingersoll Tap told police she saw the thieves make their getaway in a dark SUV. After that, a woman was jumped in the parking lot of Jethro’s BBQ on Forest Avenue and in the parking lot of the Price Chopper grocery store on Merle Hay Road.

The thefts occurred in the middle of the day over a two-hour period. Police recognized the SUV a short time later on Cottage Grove Avenue. They were arrested and taken to a juvenile detention center.

Police say if those involved were adults, they would be looking at serious prison time.

“It’s not just kids being kids. People are doing some very dangerous things. We’ve got some great programs to divert them. It’s just what we see is a lack of parental supervision, a lack of discipline and a really bad peer group that they’re choosing to hang out with. I don’t think all of these kids are bad kids,” said Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek.

Fortunately, none of the victims were injured.