Teens charged in Tuskegee Airman's carjacking

Posted: 03.05.2013 at 6:45 AM

The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of black combat pilots who trained in Alabama during World War II who helped pave the way for military desegregation

DETROIT (AP) -- Four teenagers have been charged in Detroit with carjacking an 88-year-old World War II veteran who's a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen.

The Wayne County prosecutor's office says the 13- to 16-year-olds were in court Monday and ordered held on bond pending March 20 pretrial hearings before a juvenile court referee.

Jesse Rutledge said that he was leaving an east side barber shop Saturday afternoon when one of the teens placed a gun to his head and demanded the keys to his Jeep.

The youths were arrested Sunday.

The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of black combat pilots who trained in Alabama during World War II. They helped pave the way for desegregation in the U.S. military. Rutledge says he was a gunner on B-25 bomber.