A bystander video of police detaining a crying 8-year-old boy, allegedly for stealing a bag of chips, has prompted an internal review by police in Syracuse, New York.
One officer can be seen restraining the boy by both arms before placing him in a police vehicle in the video, which has amassed more than 5 million views on social media in only a few days. Another officer tells bystanders off-camera who are questioning their actions that the boy was caught stealing.
In a statement Tuesday, Syracuse police said the department was reviewing the officer's actions and body-worn cameras.
The one-minute clip begins with a man off-camera asking the officer holding the boy what police are doing before he comments that the child “looks like a baby to me.”
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Another officer appears and tells the man: “He’s stealing stuff. If he breaks into your house and steals something —” His voice then becomes inaudible.
“Y’all treat him like a hard-core, blooded f------ killer,” the man replies.
The officer says: “Keep walking, dude. You don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
The camera then pans to a police vehicle where the boy was placed.
A second voice can be heard.
“That’s crazy,” the person says. “How old is he? 10 years old?”
Syracuse police said in a statement Tuesday that the child was never placed in handcuffs and that body camera video was being reviewed.
“We (SPD) 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 said.
“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.”
Local media reported that the boy, who was later released without charge, was just eight years old.
New York state governor Kathy Hochul described the video as "heart-wrenching."
"Many of us are parents. And you can't help but imagine the fear in that child as he had to endure that experience," she told reporters.
Many social media users accused the officers of racism.
Racism in law enforcement is a lightning rod issue in the United States, with young Black men at much greater risk from police violence than white men.
Viral footage of the 2020 police killing of George Floyd, a Black man, sparked nationwide protests and calls for reform of law enforcement.
In February, a video of police in New Jersey violently tackling a Black teenager during a mall fight with a young white man sparked outrage, prompting the state's governor to condemn what appeared to be "racially disparate treatment."
