A mother from Croydon, UK, is said to have handcuffed herself in front of her crying young son after she was suspected of not paying for the bus ticket she paid for.
“What are you doing? What’s going on […]? You hurt my arm! “We’re not leaving – I haven’t done anything!” The woman can be heard screaming between her son’s screams in a video that racked up more than 3.9 million views on Twitter on Monday.
The woman was reportedly arrested in south London on Friday after she allegedly refused to comply with a ticket inspector’s demands despite having paid for the bus, The Mirror reported on Monday.
At the time, she allegedly tried to evade police by acting “offensive” before being handcuffed to her wrist for “evasion” in front of a small crowd that had gathered near the scene, according to the Metropolitan Police.
At the same time, we see an agent behind her, tearfully taking care of the little one.
“For a damn bus ticket […] Wow. Don’t you have anything better to do with your time?” we can hear the woman’s brother addressing the agents.
The woman was eventually released after agents confirmed she actually paid for her tickets, British media reported.
While the video, which was circulating on social media, sparked strong reactions, the English Metropolitan Police wanted to clarify that the images would not show the extent of the incident and that the officers’ body cameras were being investigated.
“The woman was with her child and we know the video and circumstances are worrying. However, this is a snapshot of a larger incident,” police said, according to The Mirror.