14-Year-Old Hamza Terrorizes Paris, His Father Sees It Differently

Residents of Paris are fed up with 14-year-old Hamza F., who has earned the nickname "La Douane" (The Customs Officer). The teenager has quickly become the terror of the area around the Canal Saint-Martin, though his father insists the boy "wouldn't hurt a fly."

According to police sources, Hamza has been involved in at least eleven incidents since June of last year. He was most recently arrested for theft. Previous arrests include drug possession, insulting a public official, and making threats. Severe punishments have not been applied because of his age.

Videos circulating on social media show the teen demanding a two-euro toll from passersby, spraying those who refuse to pay with water, chasing cyclists, throwing a chair off a bridge into the canal, and breaking into a ground-floor apartment through a window.

The neighborhood is fed up, but Hamza's father maintains his son is "friendly and likes to joke with people," telling French media the boy does no real harm.