A video of police detaining an eight-year-old boy into a squad car in Syracuse has gone viral, amassing more than 5 million views. It prompted an internal review by police in Syracuse and caught the attention of New York Governor Kathy Hochul.
A bystander took the video that showed the Syracuse police detaining a wailing eight-year-old boy for stealing a bag of chips. An officer can be seen restraining the boy with both arms before placing him inside a police vehicle, while another officer told the bystanders questioning their actions that the boy was caught stealing.
Stealing a bag of chips
Kenneth Jackson recorded the incident. As per USA Today, Jackson said he felt that the police mishandled the situation. The one-minute video began with a man asking the officer what they were doing. The officer responded that the bystander should guess what he was doing. The bystander said he "looks like a baby to me."
Another officer told the person holding the camera that the boy was stealing stuff, to which the man replied that they were treating the boy like he was a hardcore killer. An officer then said that the man taking the video should keep walking as he did not know what he was talking about.
Another voice can be heard asking how old was the boy. Jackson said that he felt the boy's terror and decided to intervene. He added that what the police did was unacceptable as there should be a way for them to interact with kids.
According to Yahoo! News, the boy's father, Anthony Weah, had met with the police at his home over the incident. He said that the officers were friendly and told him that his son was accused of stealing chips from a store.
Later, he saw the video being shared online and asked why the police would treat his son that way "over a $3 bag of chips."
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Reactions to the video
The video was posted online and generated more than 5.5 million views. The Syracuse police also said the department reviewed the officers' actions and body-worn cameras. They stated there was misinformation about the case as the juvenile was suspected of larceny and was not handcuffed. The boy was also placed in the rear of the patrol unit and was brought home directly, where the officers met with the child's father, and no charges were filed.
Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said that the incident demonstrates the continuing need for the city to provide support to children and families. He also underlined the need to invest in alternative response options to assist police officers, as per ABC6.
Michael Sisitzky, the senior policy counsel for the New York Civil Liberties Union, said the police officers unnecessarily traumatized a child.
However, David Thomas, a professor of forensic studies at Florida Coast University who worked 20 years as a police officer in Michigan and Florida, said that the police handled the matter by the book.
