A young man may have thought he found a brilliant way to get money quickly without working for it.

That is, until police arrested him.

At 1:30 p.m. May 19, two adults were filling up their vehicles with gasoline in the 2800 block of North Moorpark Road when a teenager with his hand up his shirt allegedly simulated a handgun then demanded and got money.

The 16-year-old, 5-foot-10- inch, 130-pound juvenile allegedly went to a location nearby and repeated the procedure, demanding money from a man who was sitting in his vehicle.

When police arrived, the juvenile was gone, but a video surveillance image helped officers identify the subject. Police went to his home and arrested him on suspicion of three counts of robbery.

None of the alleged victims were harmed, said Detective Allen Devers.

Devers said those who thought the person who approached them had a weapon did the right thing.

“I would not expect them to do anything else. The smartest thing is to give them what they want,” Devers said.

The juvenile was still in police custody at Ventura County Juvenile Hall on May 26, the detective said.

—Nancy Needham