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Truth behind viral video of Syracuse cops 'arresting' 8-yr-old boy for stealing chips

Kenneth Jackson, who filmed the incident, screamed at the officers and asked, 'What ya'll doing?'

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK: An internal review has been launched at the Syracuse Police Department after a viral video showed cops appearing to arrest a crying child and putting him inside a patrol car. The date of the incident is not known but it showed the traumatized eight-year-old boy crying as three police officers put his hands behind his back and dragged him towards the patrol car. It has been reported that the boy was stealing a bag of chips which led to cops taking action against him.

A person named Kenneth Jackson was behind the camera, who reportedly filmed the incident before it was shared on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and more. Jackson recording the incident screamed at the officers and asked, “What ya'll doing?” One of the cops replied: “Guess. Guess what I'm doing.” The man then said, “He looks like a baby to me. I don't know what you're doing. So what's going on then?” To which, another cop answered: “He's stealing stuff. If he breaks into your house…” But before that cop completed his sentence, Jackson intervened and pointed out, “Nah man! What he stole a bag of chips so you gotta treat him like a cold-blooded f**king criminal?”

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But the situation did not get better from there as the child continued to scream while an officer told Jackson, “Keep walking dude, you don't know even know what you're talking about.” The man responded saying, “I know what I just came up and see!” before offering to pay for the item that the boy reportedly stole. Jackson added: “I see you snatching him up the butt like he's a grown-a** man - and he said it wasn't him! If he stole some chips, I'll pay for them. I'll pay for them! Leave him alone! He's a kid!”

Jackson also spoke with CNY Central and said, “There's a way that the police need to interact with kids and what they did that day was completely unacceptable.” However, on Tuesday, April 19, Syracuse police addressed the chaos that happened after the clip went viral and claimed that it had some "misinformation." In a statement, the department said: “The incident, including the Officers’ actions and body-worn cameras, are being reviewed. 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.”

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh also said, “The officer knew the child from prior interactions, and explained to him that he was being taken home. The officers returned the child to his family and discussed the incident with his father before leaving without filing any charges. What occurred demonstrates the continuing need for the City to provide support to our children and families and to invest in alternative response options to assist our officers.”

Besides, CNY Central showed the viral video to Dr Keith Taylor, a policing expert at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, who justified the cops’ action. Taylor said, “You don't see any inappropriate use of force by the officers. They're simply doing their job.” He also added: “The focus seems to be on a bag of chips and not on the concerns of the store owners, the potential pattern, and the child himself.”