Police in Lansing, Michigan, released these blurred images of a 12-year-old boy, left, and a car theft suspect, right, after officers mistakenly took the boy into custody, thinking he was the suspect. The incident was captured on TikTok, which has amassed over 5 million views. (Lansing Police Department)
The police chief and mayor in Lansing, Michigan, issued apologies after cops mistakenly handcuffed a 12-year-old Black boy who was taking out the trash. The incident was captured in a viral video on TikTok.
A video with the caption “Kid taking out trash being harassed by police. Father defending his son. Wrong person,” has amassed over 5 million views. It shows the boy’s father pleading with police that they have the wrong person, telling them they are traumatizing his son who did nothing wrong. After a couple of minutes, police release the boy from custody.
Lansing police said in a Facebook post that officers on Thursday afternoon were investigating a string of Kia thefts, including on reported on the 3600 block of W. Jolly Road with multiple suspects.
@careyann327Kid taking out trash being harassed by police. Father defending his son. Wrong person.♬ original sound – Talkingtom24🐺
A witness described one of the suspects wearing a white shirt and neon shorts. When an officer approached the suspect, he fled to a nearby apartment complex, the Facebook post said. Another officer responded to apartment complex and saw the boy who was also wearing neon shorts and took him into custody, not knowing it was the wrong person, according to the Facebook post.
The initial officer who spotted the suspect came to the apartment complex and told officers they had the wrong person and the boy was released, police said.
“Community relations is a top priority for us as a department, from top-down. Our hope is we can put this unfortunate case of ‘wrong place, wrong time’ behind us and continue to represent the community that we serve,” the post said.
The Facebook post also includes a picture of the boy and actual suspect, showing they are wearing similar clothing, though it appears the suspect has longer hair.
Police Chief Ellery Sosebee released a statement on Facebook, saying his officers have been “working very hard to address the recent car thefts plaguing our city” and in doing so mistakenly took the boy into custody. Sosebee noted that all his officers were professional during the situation.
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“It’s unfortunate that incidents like this occur, but through communication and sharing of information, we can help people understand the whole story,” he wrote. “We understand that something like this has an impact on all parties involved. As the Chief of Police, I want to apologize that this incident had such an effect on this young man and his family. I’m asking for the community to consider all the facts of the situation before making a judgment.”
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Lansing Mayor Andy Schor also released a statement to the media apologizing over the situation. He said LPD is providing the boy’s family with resources and support.
“Our officers do their absolute best to protect Lansing, but in this case a mistake was made and we own it and apologize to those affected. As Mayor, I once again offer my sincere apology to this young man,” he said, according to the Lansing State Journal.
Attorneys for the boy, Tashawn Bernard, and his family told reporters the incident has had a strong impact on the boy.
“Our client has been traumatized by this incident, so much so that young Tashawn does not want to go outside … even to get the mail,” attorney Rico Neal said, according to the LSJ.
The attorneys also said the boy Tashawn was wearing a gray shirt and not white which the suspect was wearing. They are considering all legal options, including a lawsuit.
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