12-year old boy thwarts home invasion

                 Yesterday, a 12-year old boy called 911 in the attic, while 3 guys broke into the house with guns. I actually heard this news in my statistics class this afternoon. I headed to AJC to find local news, and this was on the front page. When I heard this in my stat class, I thought the crime wasn't as big as it actually is. Come to find out, three guys kicked a door in and pointed guns at the boy's mother. The boy rushed up into the attic and called emergency as soon as he heard the door broke. Police were able to arrive at the house while the criminals were there, and they were captured after a seventeen mile chase.

                Interesting thing about this news not the fact that a 12-year old boy saved the family, but it is that three men would rob a house with an AK-47 to get $500. Why would somebody commit that big of a crime for $500? I personally feel like the less news you watch, the less unaware you are with crimes (which is obvious-- but I feel like the more of these things I hear, the more cynical I get.) To be honest, I don't follow up with the news at all, but I feel like crimes are getting worse and worse. I have to admit that I'm extremely cynical, but I think this is way too much. I've been watching Korean news lately (just because it's on TV every evening), and Koreas got its own problem-- a big one. Child pornography and molestation has been huge lately in Korea. What I'm trying to say here is not about robbing houses or banks, or kidnapping and raping children. But what my question is: Why?

                I understand that people who have been mistreated during their childhood develop serious mental problems that lead them to commit crimes, and I can kind of see what makes them do such things, but I think it can be prevented easily. What I don't quite understand is the criminals minds. I mean, sometimes I feel like doing stuff I probably shouldn't even say, but I don't understand the actions. I just don't understand it. I mean, I have to admit that I'm really hotheaded, but if you think about the consequences, it makes me rethink about what I'm going to do. I wonder if they care about what's going to happen to them, or if they just don't think about it. 

"Boy, 12, Thwarts Home Invasion by Hiding in Attic and Calling Police." www.ajc.com. Atlanta Journal Constitution, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://www.ajc.com/news/news/crime-law/boy-12-thwarts-home-invasion-by-hiding-in-attic-an/nSgWT/>.