Police in Lansing, Michigan, released details on what exactly happened in a viral video of a young, Black boy being handcuffed and detained while taking out the trash, which outraged the surrounding community and many people online.
That video begins with a view of a police presence in what appears to be a residential neighborhood. Viewers can also see a young boy handcuffed, standing with an officer. Multiple patrol cars show up at the scene to surround the 12-year-old boy.
A few moments later, the video pans to a man who appears to be the boy’s father questioning the officers at the scene about why they’re detaining the child. The officers walk the boy over to where the man and another officer are having that conversation, then walk him back to one of the squad cars at the scene, where he is placed in the back of it.
While not much of the conversation can be heard, the officer seems to explain to the man that the boy fits a suspect description.
After the man begins protesting his son’s detainment, the officers take the boy out of the police car and question him before releasing him.
Video of the entire encounter was heavily circulated online, drawing the ire and backlash of many people on social media.
“Can you imagine the amount of self-control it took that dad to keep his composure?” one Instagram user commented under the video.”
“This poor boy’s life is changed forever. His perception of who he is in this world is damaged,” a TikTok user said.
“Lawsuit period,” another person wrote.
Police posted a statement on Facebook to clarify what led to the encounter. They said that officers were investigating a string of Kia thefts in a southwestern corner of the town.
One witness said a suspect was wearing neon shorts and a white shirt. One officer saw someone wearing the outfit described to police, and when he tried to make contact, the suspect fled into a nearby apartment complex.
