Police: Man using possibly disabled teen to rob Detroit store

Police are searching for a man they believe is using a possibly disabled teenager steal from a convenience store for on Detroit's west side.

The robbery took place at a Sunoco gas station in the 12000 block of Schaffer off I-96.

Because it's a Project Green Light location, high-quality footage of the incident was sent directly to the Detroit Police Department.

On two separate occasions in May, a man has entered the gas station, bringing a person who appears to be a teenager with him that witnesses say appears to be mentally challenged or disabled.

The video shows the teen is clearly scared of the man as he put his hands up in a fearful manner.

The man then pointed his finger at the young person before he went back in the parking lot.

Moments later, the teenager tried running out of the gas station carrying stolen boxes of candy.

The door is locked by the cashier, but the teen grabbed a newspaper rack to escape by punching the entrance door open.

Candy bars scattered all over, he picked up what he could before getting away.

"I don't worry about two or three boxes of candy. I'm worried about the kid's future," said Mohammad Rustam, owner of the station.

That's why he's offering a $500 reward for information leading to the man's arrest.

Rustam wonders what else the man could be forcing the teenager to do.

"He could be forcing him to break in people's houses. ... All of these things start as a petty thing ... and when the kid grows up, he's going to be do the same thing," he said.

Detroit police say the man was last seen driving in a dark colored minivan.

Investigators are working to enhance the footage captured outside the gas station to get a license plate number.

If you know who this man is, give the DPD a call right away.