On July 18, the Benson Bruins junior football team of Renton found that over 118 helmets and 50 pads were stolen from its storage sheds, throwing a wrench into preseason practice.<\/p>\n
According to Bruins secretary and longtime team mom Tina Ann Leonardo, the sheds were broken into and the team’s entire football helmet inventory was stolen.<\/p>\n
“It’s just a sad situation that someone would do this to these kids,” said Leonardo in a phone call. “Why would you hurt kids like this?”<\/p>\n
The theft of the equipment came at an unfortunate time — the Bruins are kicking off practice for their first jamboree on Aug. 13 and then the junior football league games are next. Without proper safety equipment, the players (ages 6 to 14) cannot practice hits or tackling.<\/p>\n
The sheds are located in Renton at 116th Avenue Southeast and SE 168th Street, across from the 7-Eleven. The Bruins are asking for anyone who may have seen the football equipment being loaded into a vehicle or carried away to contact the Renton Police Department. The case number for the investigation is 23-8241.<\/p>\n