LEGAL SHAKEDOWN: Police apologize for handcuffing 12-year-old BLACK boy after video surfaced on SoMe - his father w Island accent wants to sue

[Arheel's Uncle]

‘Unfortunate misunderstanding’: Police apologize for handcuffing 12-year-old boy

Police said they were investigating a string of car thefts when they encountered the 12-year-old, who was wearing clothes that matched suspects from that case.

www.kplctv.com

‘Unfortunate misunderstanding’: Police apologize for handcuffing 12-year-old boy​

Police in Michigan are apologizing for handcuffing a boy who they said fit the description of a man wanted for car thefts. (WILX, TIKTOK, @CAREYNN327, CNN, TikT

By Ta'Niyah Jordan and WILX News 10
Published: Aug. 11, 2023 at 10:50 PM MST|Updated: 2 hours ago

LANSING, Mich. (WILX/Gray News) - Police in Lansing, Michigan, are facing criticism for handcuffing a 12-year-old who was taking trash to a dumpster outside his residence.
Video of the incident surfaced on social media, which resulted in the Lansing Police Department addressing the post.

Mayor Andy Schor added in a statement, “The Lansing Police Department made a mistake in detaining the wrong person during a vehicle theft investigation. The young man was wearing the exact same clothing as the suspect, however it was quickly confirmed he was not the suspect in question and he was released.”

“We are aware of a video circulating social media. We want to provide some background information on this unfortunate misunderstanding,” Lansing police posted on Facebook.
Police said they were searching for suspects involved in a string of Kia thefts when witnesses reportedly described one person of interest as wearing neon shorts and a white shirt.
An officer saw someone matching the description and attempted to contact them, according to police, but that person fled to a nearby apartment complex.
Another officer was in the area and saw 12-year-old Tashawn Bernard, who was wearing a similar outfit. He was detained for questioning.

Police said they were investigating a string of car thefts when they encountered the 12-year-old, who was wearing clothes that matched suspects from that case.(Lansing Police Department)
Michael Bernard, the 12-year-old boy’s father, said he was doing the dishes when he told Tashawn to take out the trash.
When it took too long for Tashawn to return, Michael Bernard said he went outside to check on his son.
“I got concerned when I didn’t see him come back within that period of time, and I walk out to here, look out and to my surprise, the cops had him in handcuffs,” Michael Bernard said.
Police said Tashawn matched the description of a man wanted for recent auto thefts in the area.
“I was mad about it because I was like my son would never break any law,” Michael Bernard said. “So I rushed out and asked the cop, ‘What’s the problem? Why do you have my son in handcuffs?’ Just like that.”
The boy said officers had their firearms unholstered at the time.
“He was stunned because he don’t know what was transpiring,” Michael Bernard said. “He’s like, ‘What have I done?’”
The incident left the family stunned and they are now working with a law firm to consider possible legal action against the city.
“After dumping the trash in the dumpster, he was approached by a police officer who had his gun unholstered and was holding it in front of him,” attorney Ayanna Neal said.
Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee released a statement regarding the incident:

”The officers of the Lansing Police Department are working very hard to address the recent car thefts plaguing our city. In doing so, yesterday officers detained a young man who was wearing similar clothing and in the same apartment complex as an accused car thief who fled from officers on foot. When the officer made initial contact, it was near a trash bin but was after he had disposed of any garbage. The young man was then released to his father when eliminated as the accused. The command officer on the scene made contact with the young man’s father and explained the situation and apologized for the misunderstanding. I have reviewed the incident and can confirm the officer who contacted and detained the young man was respectful and professional during his investigation.
It’s unfortunate that incidents like this occur but through communication and sharing of information, we can help people understand the whole story. We understand that something like this has an impact on all parties involved.
As the Chief of Police, I want to apologize that this incident had such an effect on this young man and his family. I’m asking for the community to consider all the facts of the situation before making a judgment. The relationship with our community has been and will continue to be a top priority for the Lansing Police Department.”

Mayor Andy Schor added in a statement, “The Lansing Police Department made a mistake in detaining the wrong person during a vehicle theft investigation. The young man was wearing the exact same clothing as the suspect, however it was quickly confirmed he was not the suspect in question and he was released.”

 

[Arheel's Uncle]

Video of the incident surfaced on social media,

Someone just happened to be filming the arrest, then uploaded to social media.

The young man was wearing the exact same clothing as the suspect.

Multiple car thefts in the area, it was on the news that police were out looking

An officer saw someone matching the description and attempted to contact them, according to police, but that person fled to a nearby apartment complex.

Who just happened to run into

detained a young man who was wearing similar clothing and in the same apartment complex as an accused car thief who fled from officers on foot.

Quick thinking, for the father to send the clone out with the trash AFTER the suspect ran to the apartment

“I was mad about it because I was like my son would never break any law,” Michael Bernard said.

Yeah, sure, we heard that nonsense before

(foreign accent father - sounds Jamaican) they are now working with a law firm to consider possible legal action against the city.

The shakedown.

What are the odds?

 

[Arheel's Uncle]

Thee shakedown continues.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/15/us/tashawn-bernard-father-rejects-police-apology-cnntv/index.html

Father of a 12-year-old detained while taking out trash says he will not accept a police apology​

By Chandelis Duster, CNN

Updated 4:49 PM EDT, Wed August 16, 2023

12 year old handcuffed while taking out the trash
CNN —

The father of a 12-year-old Black boy who was briefly detained by police while taking out the trash at his home in Lansing, Michigan, said Monday he cannot bring himself to accept an apology from the city’s police department.

“I will never accept an apology. My son did not deserve to be treated the way they treat(ed) him. No way, no shape or form,” Michael Bernard told CNN. “Justice for my son. That’s all I want. Nothing else.”

Bernard, who had been washing dishes in the kitchen, became concerned when his son Tashawn Bernard didn’t come back from taking out the trash. He went outside to check on his son, only to find him in handcuffs.

Tashawn Bernard is handcuffed by police while taking out the trash.

Tashawn later told his father he was walking back to his apartment after placing the trash in the dumpster, when a police vehicle approached him. Tashawn said an officer got out of the vehicle and unholstered his gun.

The boy was then put in handcuffs, his father said, before being placed in the back of a police car.

Bernard said he asked the officer to explain why his son had been detained, but the officer said he would explain “in a little while.”

“I said, ‘No, I don’t want – I want you to tell me right now why my son is in handcuffs,’” Bernard recalled, adding that his son appeared to be scared. “Once he saw my presence, it gave him that comfort, his daddy is here.”

A video of the incident has been widely shared on social media.

On Friday, the Lansing Police Department said their officers had been searching for a suspect in a string of car thefts. The boy, police said, was “wearing similar clothing and in the same apartment complex as an accused car thief who fled from officers on foot.”

According to police, a witness had described the car theft suspect as wearing neon shorts and a white shirt.

But one of the family’s attorneys, Rico Neal, told CNN that though he was wearing neon shorts, Tashawn had on a “light gray or light bluish shirt,” not a white one. Neal also said Tashawn was wearing “totally different shoes.”

The Lansing Police Department has issued a statement apologizing to the Bernard family.

“I want to apologize that this incident had such an effect on this young man and his family,” Chief Ellery Sosebee said in the statement Friday. He also asked for the community to consider “all the facts of the situation before making a judgment.”

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor also apologized and said the department had been in contact with the family to offer resources and support “for any trauma involved.”

“Our officers do their absolute best to protect Lansing, but in this case a mistake was made, and we own it and apologize to those affected,” Schor said.

Neal told CNN instead of an apology, his client wants to see accountability for the officers involved in the incident.

“If you want to issue us an apology, tell us what’s happening to those officers because my client continues to deal with the stress and the trauma that was impacted on him by this ordeal while they just walk away,” Neal said.

CNN has reached out to the Lansing Police Department for additional comment.

On Monday, attorneys representing the family told CNN they were continuing to investigate the incident before deciding if they would pursue legal action against the city.

Family attorneys said they are working to ensure Tashawn receives “justice.”