New Yorkers are up in arms over two deputies recent mistake. Video footage reveals two police who wrongly arrest an 11-year-old girl after mistaking her for a car thief.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Police Arrest 11-Year-Old
If you are baffled by this case, know that you are not alone. Many people were in utter disbelief that police would even consider an 11-year-old as a villain. However, the deputies argue that this child matched the description of the car thief to a T.
As this little girl was walking home from school with her cousin and her friends, the officers approached her. Then, they placed her in handcuffs, assuming she was the car thief that they had been after. Earlier, the officers had been involved in a seven-minute pursuit with a stolen Kia. However, the occupants of the vehicle got out of the car and fled on foot.
One of the car thief's was wearing the same pink jacket and camo pants as this 11-year-old girl. Additionally, they had fled in the direction that the officers had found the young girl. Immediately after placing her in handcuffs, the girls' cousin tried to de-escalate the situation.
She explained to the officers that they had made a mistake and that they had all just been walking home from school. Deputies insisted they had the right person and showed the children the photo of the culprit. When showing the photo one of the deputies can be heard asking, "Girl, you gonna tell me this ain't you?"
As the frightened 11-year-old begins to cry her cousin tries to explain. She tired to point out to the deputies that the suspect had lighter skin and longer hair than her cousin. Clearly, if they looked past the clothes they could see that they had the wrong girl.
After nearly seven minutes in handcuffs, the police realized their mistake and released the girl, apologizing for the confusion.
People Are Enraged
Naturally, people are a bit unnerved by the situation. While people want police to be thorough and keep criminals off of the streets, they also do not expect them to be handcuffing children. The girl's mother was outraged and couldn't even finish watching the video.
She stated, "I couldn't even finish watching the video. Even if it wasn't my child, I wouldn't be able to finish watching the video because that's not how you handle children."
However, the sheriff's office argues that the officers did nothing wrong when they arrested the girl. They argued that they have 13-year-olds stealing weapons and that the young girl matched the description perfectly. Additionally, they argued that detaining the child was the right choice because you never know who is or is not armed.
However, the public tends to disagree. Additionally, the young girl's mother is horrified that the police did not inform her of the incident. The NY Post shares that she had "concerns about why the police didn't inform her that her daughter wad detained as part of a criminal investigation."
Moving forward, the Sheriff agreed that a new policy will be put into place where police will notify the parent or guardians of any juvenile who is detained for criminal investigative purposes. What do you think about police wrongfully arresting this 11-year-old girl?
