A black teenager was handcuffed and forced onto the ground in a mistaken stop and search with the youngster fearing for his life.
De-Shaun Joseph, 14, was stopped by police in London on June 23 after officers said that he matched the description of a suspect in a nearby robbery.
The young boy was on his way home from school when he was forced to the ground face-down outside of a tram station in Croydon. He was wearing a grey top over his school uniform, with officers out looking for a Black youth in a blue hoodie.
De-Shaun told ITV News that he hadn't done anything wrong and was stopped for no reason. He said: "I thought I was going to die", The Mirror reports.
Janet Joseph was afraid that her asthmatic son would be the next George Floyd, and was worried that he would be killed while being restrained by cops. Footage captured of the incident showcases a helpless De-Shaun on the floor with his hands held behind his back and a police officer kneeling on his legs.
While being restrained, De-Shaun shouted his mum's mobile number to an onlooker.
Ms Joseph then raced to the scene after receiving the phone call and was in tears about the way her son was being treated.
De-Shan told ITV News that police officers took his phone, put him in handcuffs and pinned him against the wall with no explanation.
The schoolboy has been left mentally scarred by the incident, with doctors saying he suffered bruising to his back.
"It's every parent's worst nightmare," Ms Joseph told ITV.
"It's the same old story - every Black boy fits the description. There's no excuse for what they did to my son and the excessive force they used on a 14-year-old Black boy."
De-Shaun was later released without arrest and the police admitted they had the wrong person.
A spokesperson from the Met Police said: "Police were called at 5.17pm on Thursday, 23 June, after a primary schoolboy had been robbed of his mobile phone by a group of teenagers who intimated they had a knife in Woodside Green, Croydon.
"Officers responded and conducted an area search.
"A teenage boy was stopped in Blackhorse Road at 5.27pm after officers saw his clothing matched the description given of one male within the suspect group.
"He was detained for the purposes of a search, at which point he verbally abused officers and became obstructive. Once he was eliminated as a possible suspect, he was given a written record of the stop and search and allowed on his way."
Chief Inspector Richard Berns, Violent Crime Taskforce, added that no misconduct is apparent after an internal review but said the professional standards unit will investigate.
“Our officers patrol each day to prevent violence and seek out those who would do others harm," said CI Berns.
"Officers were responding to reports of a robbery involving a young victim and had to conduct their 'on the street' investigation under very challenging circumstances after some onlookers began directing verbal abuse at them.
"All officers understand that their actions are subject to scrutiny. An initial review of the incident, including body-worn video, has been conducted by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards and no misconduct is apparent.
"However, a public complaint has been made and will be investigated thoroughly by the professional standards unit.”
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