Photo: Kenneth Jackson/Facebook
Syracuse police are under fire for their response to a call of an 8-year-old accused of stealing a bag of chips from a store in the city’s Northside neighborhood, according to multiple reports.
“Take a guess what I’m doing,” the officer responded.
“What’d he steal — a bag of chips? You’re treating him like a whole cold-blooded f—— killer,” Jackson continued. “I seen you snatch him up off his bike like he’s a grown ass man,” he shouted, before offering to pay for the boy’s chips.
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Officers dropped the boy and his two brothers back off at their home, according toSyracuse.com.
Police told the boys' father, Anthony Weah, that his son was accused of stealing chips, although the father recalled to the outlet that the interaction with the cops was friendly, and no charges were pressed.
But when Weah saw the video, he was outraged, the outlet reported.
“Why would the police treat that child like that?” Weah asked. “Over a $3 bag of chips.”
The dad of three reportedly wants to file a complaint against the officers. “The policemen, they are not children. They are not boys, they’re men,” he said.
The boy was never handcuffed and he came home without any injuries, per the outlet.
Still, Weah said he is grateful Jackson was there to capture and intervene during the incident. “He was standing up for them,” Weah told the outlet.
On Wednesday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul weighed in on the viral video, admitting it was hard to watch.
“As a mother, that was a heart-wrenching video to witness,” she said during a press conference at the CNY Biotech Accelerator, according toSyracuse.com. “Many of us are parents and you can’t help but imagine the fear in that child as he had to endure that experience.”
On Monday, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh issued a statement onTwitter, in which he said he reviewed officers' body cam footage of the incident.
“What occurred demonstrates the continuing need for the City to provide support to our children and families and to invest in alternative response options to assist our officers.”
Additionally, the Syracuse Police Department acknowledged the incident onFacebookTuesday.
“The incident, including the Officers' actions and body-worn cameras, are being reviewed,” statement read. “There is some misinformation involving this case. The juvenile suspected of larceny was not placed in handcuffs. He was placed in the rear of a patrol unit where he was directly brought home. Officers met with the child’s father and no charges were filed.”
PEOPLE’s request for comment from the SPD wasn’t immediately returned.
source: people.com
