Officers were called to Wigman Road, Bilborough, following reports of a robbery.
The 12-year-old victim was forced to hand over his phone during the incident at around 8.25pm on Tuesday (21 March).
A 15-year-old boy was arrested by police soon after on suspicion of robbery.
Detective Constable Laura Price, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was an extremely serious offence that understandably left the young victim very distressed.
“It is simply unacceptable for anyone to behave in the manner displayed during this incident.
“Robbery is a horrible crime that can have a hugely detrimental impact on people going forward – often more from an emotional standpoint than anything else.
“That’s precisely why we take all reports we receive of this nature so seriously.
“While we’ve arrested a suspect in connection with this incident, our inquiries are still very much ongoing, so we’d ask anyone who saw what happened to get in touch with us.
“Anyone with information should contact the police on 101, quoting incident 779 of 21 March 2023, or report it anonymously to Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555111.”
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