An 11-year-old boy has learned an incredibly "hard lesson" after being the victim of a theft. Liam, who lives in California, started a lemonade stand so that he could earn money to buy a dirt bike, reported news outlet KFMB.
But when the young entrepreneur walked away from his post to go get more supplies, a man in a pickup truck saw an opportunity. Surveillance video shows a random stranger stealing Liam's table and chairs in the middle of the day.
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Liam is seen running back to his stand and realizing that his belongings are gone. He initially yells, "No!" as the truck drives away. In disbelief, he then pleads, "Oh why?!"
"I was just like, how can people be so cruel?" Liam said, according to KFMB. The boy's mother, Kery Rader, gave the man the benefit of the doubt.
"Maybe he thought it was free because a lot of people leave things up by the road," she said in an interview with Inside Edition. "I was hoping it was a misunderstanding."
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Speaking to the KFMB, Liam's mom ultimately thinks her son learned a hard lesson. "This looks a little bit more intentional, and that’s unfortunate," she said. "You know, I think Liam definitely learned a hard lesson that day as far as leaving his stuff unattended."
The community rallied around Liam by replacing his table and chairs, donating, and even buying him a dirt bike. Liam decided to continue to run his lemonade stand, and will now raise money for an animal sanctuary. "Because I love animals," he said. "I feel like every animal deserves a chance."
