ESCONDIDO: Two teenagers attempted a carjacking in Escondido on Tuesday afternoon when they came across two younger boys in a parked car waiting for their parents, police said.

The youths, ages 14 and 16, walked up to the car in front of a store on East Valley Parkway, near Rose Street, and told the boys inside to get out and hand over the keys.

The boys in the car, ages 10 and 14, refused. One ran into the store to tell their father, Escondido police Lt. Neal Griffin said.

Griffin said the boys' father came out and chased the teens. When he caught up to them, they told him they had a gun, so he backed off and called police about 4 p.m.

Officers arrived in a few minutes and saw the teens running. They were caught in Washington Park after a short chase, Griffin said. A camera and a portable video game stolen from the car were recovered.

The teens were booked into Juvenile Hall on suspicion of robbery, conspiracy and attempted carjacking. Neither was carrying a gun. –P.R.