Photo: Getty Images
An eleven-year-old Black girl was handcuffed by New York deputies while walking home from school in a case of mistaken identity, per WDBJ.
On Monday (January 13), the 11-year-old girl was walking home from school with a group of her peers when they encountered Onondaga County Sheriff’s deputies.
Deputies put the 11-year-old girl in handcuffs, saying that she matched the description of a person who allegedly stole a Kia and fled a traffic stop. Authorities told the girl that the pink jacket and camo pants she wearing matched the alleged car thief.
The other children recorded the incident and repeatedly told deputies that they had the wrong person. However, the deputies insisted they were lying.
“Girl, you gonna tell me this ain’t you?” one deputy said to the handcuffed girl after showing the group a photo of the suspect.
More deputies responded to the scene and eventually realized the 11-year-old wasn't their suspect. The handcuffed girl cried as deputies apologized for their mistake.
“I’m sorry about it, but you matched the description pretty clearly,” one deputy said.
The sheriff's office addressed the detainment in a statement, saying the girl was wearing the same clothes as the suspect and was near the traffic stop. The 11-year-old was detained for seven minutes, according to the sheriff's office. Following a review of the incident, the detainment was ruled "lawful and reasonable."
“Why would we handcuff this child? Detainees are usually handcuffed initially. Detainees may become uncooperative, may decide to flee, or may decide to fight. In some cases, detainees may be armed or have contraband/evidence they will try to destroy. Handcuffing from the start usually prevents a controlled situation from devolving into an uncontrolled situation; ultimately preventing altercations, force, and potential for injury. The police do not definitively know a person’s age and ascertaining that information is part of the detainment process. Handcuffing juveniles in this circumstance is lawful, within policy, and common practice in law enforcement," a statement from the sheriff's office reads.
The girl's mother said she was waiting for her daughter to get home from school when she found out about her detainment.
“She no longer wants to walk to and from school anymore. That was the only freedom she had, and it’s now gone,” the mother said. “I can’t make sense of it. 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.”
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