Determined to Be Rid of His Braces, Boy Pulls Gun, Tells Dentist to Remove Them

GROSSE POINTE WOODS, Mich. — A 15-year-old boy who was determined to be rid of his braces pulled a gun on an orthodontist and told him to remove them, the doctor said Friday.

Police said the youth entered a dentist’s office in Grosse Pointe Woods armed with a .45-caliber automatic pistol and asked to see a dentist to have his braces removed.

The dentist refused because the boy did not have proof of parental permission, so the boy cocked the pistol and aimed it at the doctor, who immediately took the boy to a dental chair while a nurse called police.

When police arrived, one officer spoke to the boy, and when he turned to look, the other officers rushed him. In the ensuing scuffle, the boy allegedly fired one shot that hit the floor, then grabbed an officer’s pistol, causing another shot to be fired into the floor.

Jack Patterson, Grosse Pointe Woods director of public safety, said the boy spent a few hours at a psychiatric center after the Feb. 8 incident and was released to his parents.

Police said the boy had selected the dentist at random.