Shocking footage showed the moment a 12-year-old black boy was handcuffed and dragged into a police car after police believed him to be a suspect in a string of car thefts.
Tashawn Bernard was taking out the trash outside his Lansing, Michigan home on Thursday when he was confronted with a gun by a police officer who believed the boy was a thief who fled on foot earlier that day.
A stunned onlooker began filming the arrest as at least four officers and a fleet of vehicles pulled into the parking lot outside the student’s home and watched his father, Michael, berate police for “traumatizing” his son.
Officials say Tashawn matches the description of a suspect in neon green shorts and a white shirt. However, his family’s lawyer reportedly denied this, saying he was wearing a gray shirt.
The video sparked strong backlash, which resulted in several statements of regret and statements from the embarrassed police department and the city’s mayor.
Attorneys for the Bernard family, Rico and Ayanna Neal, said the 12-year-old was so devastated by the ordeal that he now “doesn’t want to go outside…not even to get the mail.”
The shocking footage began the moment the black child was handcuffed by a white police officer
The moment the boy was taken away, his angry father, Michael, went outside to see what was going on
Michael Bernard demanded answers from the police officers and was once heard condemning the police officers for arresting his son based on a suspect’s physical description
The video of the arrest garnered over 3.5 million views in less than a day after it was posted on TikTok. The video opened with Tashawn already handcuffed shortly after dumping his trash in a large blue dumpster.
As the boy bows his head and appears to be exchanging a few words with the officer, his father can be heard running out of the house shouting, “I’m his father.”
At a virtual news conference on Friday, Michael said he knew something was wrong when Tashawn took longer than usual to take out the trash, adding that by the time he was outside, “the police were already around him.”
After watching the perpetrator walk across the parking lot, Michael turned and put his head in his hands as police arrived to explain the arrest.
While much of the footage is inaudible due to the distance it was filmed from, Michael could be heard raising his voice as officers continued to justify the detention.
“You always use that excuse, man,” he said, adding, “It doesn’t matter — once you’re black, bottom line, any description fits you,” he added.
After the police finally realized their mistake, Tashawn solemnly walked back to his father before breaking down in tears
While his emotional son was there, Michael attacked three of the female officers while the officer who made the arrest walked away
As Michael continues to plead for his son, Tashawn is led away from his father, still in handcuffs, and escorted into a police vehicle.
At that moment, backup officers, likely called during the previous chase, arrive at the scene and a fleet of at least three additional police SUVs pull into the parking lot.
Michael also notes that the arrest is being filmed by a bystander, after which he walks towards them across the sidewalk with outstretched hands and refers to the incident as “cops***”.
“You’re traumatizing my son,” he continued, while the person behind the camera agreed that the arrest was “a fake crap.”
“All these police officers for a teenager,” adds another person behind the camera, as Tashawn is eventually pulled out of the car by four officers gathered around him and his handcuffs removed.
The boy appeared to chat with officers for about a minute before running back to his father on the sidewalk. As the officers slowly ambled over, someone was heard saying, “Now they’re about to lie.”
Tashawn couldn’t even face the cops as he stood crying next to his father while Michael motioned for the cops to hurry up so he could rally and swear at them.
Tashawn Bernard (centre) during a video press conference with his parents. His father Michael (left) criticized the police for their bold arrest as their lawyers said they were “exploring all legal options”, including the possible filing of a lawsuit
Family lawyers, Ayanna and Rico Neal (pictured together), said Tashawn was too scared to even get the mail after the horrific ordeal
The Bernard family say that following the arrest they are “assessing all legal options,” including “the possibility of filing a lawsuit,” their attorneys said. They said they had received no further information from the police, apart from the information they had seen on social media.
The Lansing Police Department faced severe backlash after the arrest, in part due to public statements intended to explain the circumstances of the arrest.
Lansing Police released two statements on Friday. The first was sent out early this morning and sparked outrage when it said the arrest was merely a case of “wrong place, wrong time”.
Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosobee defended the arrest as “respectful and professional,” in another statement, reiterating that police felt Tashawn was wearing similar clothing to a suspect.
Authorities said the “regrettable misunderstanding” arose after a witness to a car theft “described that a suspect was wearing neon shorts and a white shirt”.
“A responding officer saw a subject matching that description and attempted to make contact, but the subject fled and ran west to the nearby apartment complex,” the first statement said.
“Another officer was in the area and saw the young man pictured in the viral video wearing a very similar outfit and contacted him.” The first officer was able to respond and clarify that the young man in the video was not acted on the suspect who fled earlier.
“Once this information was received, the young man was released and officers continued to search the area.” Community relations are a top-down priority for us as a department. “We hope to move beyond this unfortunate case of wrong place, wrong time and continue to represent the community we serve.”
The Facebook post included two grainy images of Tashawn alongside the arrest suspect, who was wearing similarly colored clothing, but many online noted that the suspect was clearly much taller than the child.
Lansing Police released a statement Friday, the day after the arrest, which angered many after trying to dismiss the incident as a “wrong place, wrong time.”
In its follow-up statement, sent a few hours after the first, the Sosebee defended the arrest, saying it was an unfortunate moment during the department’s efforts to “address the recent auto thefts in our city.”
“Yesterday, officers arrested a young man wearing similar clothing who was in the same apartment complex as an accused car thief who fled on foot from officers,” the statement said.
“When the officer first made contact, the object was near a garbage can after he dumped the garbage. The young man was then handed over to his father after he was eliminated as a defendant.
“The incident commander at the scene contacted the young man’s father, clarified the situation and apologized for the misunderstanding.” I have reviewed the incident and can confirm that the officer who contacted and arrested the young man was active in his investigation acted in a respectful and professional manner.
“It is unfortunate that incidents like this happen, but through communication and information sharing, we can help people understand the full story,” the police chief concluded.
While apologizing because “this incident had a major impact on this young man and his family,” Sosobee urged the community to “consider all the facts of the situation before making a judgment.”