Former NYPD Chief of Department John Chell on Friday blasted what he described as a lack of consequences for juvenile offenders while reacting to the armed robbery of a children's lemonade stand in Boston, before also weighing in on newly released video showing a Pasadena, California, police officer accidentally shooting another officer during what authorities called "horseplay."

Chell discussed the two incidents, which have drawn national attention, on Newsmax's "Bianca Across the Nation."

Boston police said they are searching for two juveniles who robbed an 11-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy who were operating a lemonade stand on Wednesday in South Boston.

Investigators said the culprits passed the stand several times, then asked whether the children accepted Apple Pay. One of the robbers grabbed the kids' cashbox while the other showed them he had a gun tucked in his waistband.

About $50 was taken, police said. No arrests had been announced as of Friday.

Reacting to the robbery, Chell said he immediately questioned how the suspects had been raised.

"I tell you, the first thing I thought about this morning when I saw it was over my morning coffee was, where were these kids raised?" Chell said. "What makes them get a gun? ... Who raised them? How were they raised in that context?"

He contrasted the victims' efforts to earn money with the actions of the alleged robbers.

"But here you have two 11-year-old, 12-year-old [children], the virtues of hard work, a lemonade stand like most of us did. We're young and make a couple dollars," Chell said. "Then you have two thugs come up at gunpoint and steal their money."

He added, "That's called an armed robbery by other juveniles."

Chell argued that repeat juvenile offenders often face insufficient punishment.

"And I guarantee you this when I apprehend them, that these kids are known to the Boston Police Department, they've probably been in and out of the system," he said. "And there's no consequences for juveniles. That's why you're seeing this rash of juvenile violence for the last couple of years throughout this nation."

He also praised the community response after reports that residents planned to support the children's lemonade stand as it reopened.

"These kids, I believe, are back out there today, standing tall, working hard, selling their lemonade with the backing of the community," Chell said. "That's very important."

Earlier in the interview, Chell addressed newly released video from the Pasadena Police Department showing a September incident in which one officer was shot in the shoulder by another officer in a police parking garage.

Pasadena Police Chief Gene Harris described the incident as "unsafe and out-of-policy horseplay" involving a loaded gun. The wounded officer recovered from his injuries, and the matter remains under investigation.

Chell said the video demonstrated a fundamental violation of gun safety principles.

"You're taught from the day 1, you step into police academy, when you get your service revolver issued to you, it is a deadly weapon," he said. "It is not to be played with, and the only time you take it out of your holster, unfortunately, is if you're going to use it or intend to use it.

"You cannot play with guns, because this is what happens."

He also criticized department leadership's handling of the matter, saying: "The chief is in hot water for not being transparent about it and getting in front of this. And like you said, now it's an utter embarrassment."

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