An Upstate New York family is gearing up to file a lawsuit against the city of Syracuse, claiming officers violated their child’s civil rights when they treated him like a criminal for allegedly stealing a bag of potato chips.
The lawyers suggest the officers from the department have continued to single out the boy, stating that cops placed him in handcuffs while he was swimming in a local pool, claiming stole something again.
Lawyers representing the family of an 8-year-old boy, who on Sunday, April 17, was detained by Syracuse Police Department for allegedly stealing a bag of Doritos from a Dollar General at the corner of Lodi and Butternut streets on the city’s North Side, Syracuse.com reported.
On Wednesday, July 20, the child’s father Anthony Weah, who hired the two civil rights attorneys, announced the plans to file a lawsuit, hoping the three officers involved in the incident would be terminated and that the boy receives millions in damages.
On behalf of the family, they placed a notice of claim in motion against the SPD and the city of Syracuse. A notice of claim is required to alert a city of a future lawsuit and to establish rules for a conversation about a potential settlement.
The story made headlines after a bystander challenged the officer for how he detained the young boy, with witnesses saying the cop snatched the boy off of his bike by his hoodie and dumping out the bag of Cool Ranch flavored chips over the boy.
Video of some of the encounter was captured by Kenneth Jackson, who said he saw the officers snatch the boy off a bicycle outside the store. The footage showed the boy crying as the cop berated him over and over again before taking the boy to his father.
“There’s other ways to rectify this besides scare tactics,” Jackson said. “Now that’s just another youth that’s scarred by the system.”
SPD Chief Joseph Cecile disagrees. He believes while there were “low points” during the incident, the ultimate outcome, including the boy being released to his dad, was an example of “community policing 101.”
