Woman Says Adults Encouraged Kid After He Climbed Inside Claw Machine At Restaurant

VICTORVILLE (CBSLA.com) — A photograph captured what appears to be a young boy who crawled inside a pizza restaurant's claw machine but it's what happened afterwards that has some raising their eyebrows.

Alyssa Billotti snapped the picture Tuesday evening at John's Incredible Pizza Co. and says she was appalled to see the child taking the toys and handing them out to other kids while adults egged him on.

"He was like maybe 8 years old, just a little kid, and there were a bunch of littler kids around so they probably want to go in the now," Billotti said. "I just thought he shouldn't be in there, I don't know. I just thought his parents would be the ones to say 'Get out of there,' you would think."

But Billotti says instead, adults cheered him on, allowing him to make two separate trips inside the claw.

"He is just a kid but his parents aren't helping him, teaching him right from wrong," she said.

No one from John's Incredible Pizza would talk to CBS2, but plenty of people have reacted on Facebook.

One person said: "ha ha ha a little modern day Robin Hood because those claw machines are a rip off lol."

"Wonder what happened to them," said another person curious as to where the child's parents were. "Since it was a kid doing it."

And third person said: "really sad that parents just thought it was funny and encouraged the boy."

Billotti says employees at the restaurant finally caught on to the child's antics when they saw other kids running around with their arms full of stuffed animals.

"The manager goes over there and caught him red-handed, handing out stuffed animals," she said.

Billotti says in the end the kids had to give back the toys.