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A former Tuskegee Airman was carjacked by four teenage boys in Detroit, Saturday (March 3). Jesse Rutledge’s life story includes fighting against racism, and serving in World War II, but it was his run-in with the foursome that pumped fear into his heart.

“He said n*gga give me your keys, and he racked his gun back,” Rutledge told local news station WXYZ. The 88-year-old was leaving a barbershop, when he was approached by the robbers in broad daylight. “They [was] little guys, they had the hood on. That’s when I really got upset.”

One of the suspects is only13-year-old, and may have been holding the gun, since Rutledge points out a smaller suspect as having the weapon when he “got right up” in his face. He demanded the keys to his 1999 Jeep Cherokee, which Rutledge handed over.

The teens sped off in the vehicle, and given all that he’s seen and achieved in his many years—including grabbing several medals for his service as a Tuskegee Airman— Rutledge attributes the their lack of respect for an elder, as a problem on the home front.  “They didn’t have no parents to grow up to teach them nothin,’ to tell ‘em nothin,’” he said.

Police were able to track down the suspects, all of whom were arrested and are due for a preliminary hearing at the Juvenile Detention Center in Detroit sometime today.

Photo: WXYZ