A viral video showing a group of majority white police officers in Syracuse, New York stopping an 8-year-old Black boy after they claim he stole a bag of chips has garnered millions of views and led many commenters to link the incident to the country’s history of police brutality against racial minorities.
Syrcause.com first reported how Kenneth Jackson, the Syracuse resident who captured the viral footage, was running errands on Sunday when he first saw a group of officers grab the 8-year-old from his bike, while the alleged stolen bag of Doritos spilled everywhere.
“He got snatched off that bike,” he told the local news outlet. That’s when the 37-year-old man decided to hit record.
“What are you doing?” Mr Jackson asks in the cell phone recording, as he gestures at the police officer holding back the sobbing 8-year-old’s arms, marching him towards a marked police car.
“You can guess what I’m doing,” the officer holding the boy responded.
An exchange between the other officers in the group and Mr Jackson ensues, in which one of the upstate New York officers can be heard explaining “he’s stealing stuff”, while incredulous bystanders in the background can be heard exclaiming: “how old is he? 10 years old?”
The child’s wailing can be heard off-camera, at points reaching a screaming cry, while he’s forced to sit in the back of the police cruiser.
For the remainder of the video, the officers are grilled by the group of onlookers who attempt to put forward alternative solutions to the incident, such as calling the boy’s parents instead of placing him in the back of the vehicle.
At one point, Mr Jackson can be heard offering to pay for the suspected stolen bag of chips.
Syracuse.com reported that the boy and his two brothers were later brought to their father’s home by Syrcause officers, who informed Anthony Weah that his sons were accused of stealing chips from a convenience store.
The father told the local outlet that the officers didn’t press charges against the boys and were “friendly” when they arrived. It wasn’t until later, Syracuse.com reported, that the father of the three boys would see the viral video that has since been viewed more than 4.5 million times on Twitter and 47,000 times on Facebook.
After viewing the incident, in which his child can be seen weeping while his arms are pulled behind his back by an officer, Mr Weah began to develop misgivings about how the matter was handled by the department.
“Why would the police treat that child like that?” he said to Syracuse.com, adding that he is contemplating filing a complaint against the force. “Over a $3 bag of chips.”
The widespread condemnation of the viral video forced the city’s mayor to make a statement regarding the incident, noting that he was initially concerned about the footage and has since asked Syracuse Police Chief Ken Buckner to review all body worn camera footage of the incident.
“The officer knew the child from prior interactions and explained to him that he was being taken home,” said Mayor Ben Walsh in a statement. “The officers returned the child to his family and discussed the incident with his father before leaving without filing any charges.”
Due to the increasing attention the Sunday incident has received, the Syracuse Police Department was forced to issue their own statement, two days after the fact, regarding their ongoing review of the officer’s body worn cameras, emphasising that, contrary to what’s been circulating online, the child “was not placed in handcuffs”.
“We are aware of a video being shared on social media involving several of our Officers and juveniles accused of stealing from a store on the City’s northside. The incident, including the Officers’ actions and body-worn cameras, are being reviewed,” the statement reads. “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.”
The Independent reached out to the Syracuse Police Department for comment regarding the incident involving the 8-year-old boy.
