“Black Child Handcuffed by White Police Officer in Michigan: Wrong Place, Wrong Time”

A white police officer in Lansing, Michigan handcuffed a Black child outside his home in what the police department called an “unfortunate case of ‘wrong place, wrong time'”. The incident was captured on cellphone video and circulated on social media. The boy was identified as 12-year-old Tashawn Bernard, who was taking out the trash when the officer approached him. The officer later removed the handcuffs and released Tashawn. The Bernard family’s lawyers stated that Tashawn is now traumatized and reluctant to go outside. The family is considering legal action. AP reported

In an unfortunate incident in Lansing, Michigan, a white police officer mistakenly handcuffed a Black child outside his home. The Lansing Police Department described it as a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This explanation was provided by the department on Facebook after a video went viral on social media, showing the officer leading the boy, with his hands cuffed behind his back, through a parking lot at an apartment complex. The officer was searching for a suspect involved in a series of car thefts when he came across the child.

During a news conference held by the Bernard family and their lawyers, the boy was identified as 12-year-old Tashawn Bernard. According to the family’s lawyer, Tashawn was taking out the trash when an officer approached him with his gun drawn and pointed towards him. In the video, three minutes into the incident, the officer removed the handcuffs and had a brief conversation with Tashawn before allowing him to join his father on the sidewalk.

Tashawn’s father, Michael Bernard, became suspicious when his son took longer than usual to bring out the trash. When he went outside, he found his son wearing handcuffs with police officers surrounding him. The family’s lawyers, Ayanna and Rico Neal, stated that Tashawn has been traumatized to the extent that he no longer wants to go outside.

The police stated that they wanted to provide some background information to clarify this unfortunate misunderstanding. A witness had described the suspect’s appearance, and when an individual matching that description ran into an apartment complex, another officer spotted the child wearing a similar outfit. The officer stopped him and released him when it was realized that he was not the suspect.

The Bernard family’s lawyers expressed that they have not received any additional details from the police, apart from what was shared on social media. The family is now considering all legal options, including the possibility of filing a lawsuit.

This incident comes in the wake of another controversial video in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where a police officer mistakenly punched a Black man whom he believed was involved in a hit-and-run crash. The police department in Kenosha has launched an internal investigation into the matter. Witnesses had reported that two men and a woman with a child had fled towards an Applebee’s restaurant. An employee at the restaurant directed the officers towards a man holding a baby, but it was later discovered that the individuals responsible for the crash were hiding in the restaurant’s bathroom.

In conclusion, these incidents highlight the need for further measures to prevent such mistaken identities and the potential for unnecessary harm to innocent individuals..