GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Facebook post shared thousands of times shows Grand Rapids police arresting a 12-year-old boy.
The incident was posted about on Facebook by a neighbor, who says he witnessed the event.
Ted Jauw's post has been shared more than 2,000 times, with hundreds of comments both in support and against the GRPD's actions. GRPD posted a Facebook post of their own, defending their decision to arrest the boy.
Car'reion Baker, 12, was arrested after an officer caught sight of him chasing after his adult cousin, who police say he had just hit with a stick. GRPD says Car'reion then resisted arrest and kicked at an officer after being handcuffed.
Officers were dispatched to the 700 block of Neland Avenue SE on the evening of Friday, June 14, just several blocks away from where the 12-year-old's family had been hosting a barbecue.
"Police cars parked all along the street here. As [police] were coming back from whatever had been settled over there, this kid was running across the street," Jauw said Monday. "But, he was not running from anyone, he was running and chasing his cousin who had just teased him."
Car'reion was running with what his mother says was a 3-inch stick, though GRPD is calling it a "wooden pole". An officer saw Car'reion running and told him to stop, but he continued running. Car'reion says he had no idea the officer was behind him — he thought the shouts were coming from his family. Car'reion's mother, Bernice Jones, said the officer ran by her.
"He is like running next to me, and I am telling him, 'wait a minute. that's my son, that's his cousin -- they are just playing,'" Jones said Monday. "And that's when he called for backup"
Car'reion tripped and fell on the pavement just before the officer caught up to him and placed him in handcuffs.
"The youth then began to resist the officer. A large crowd already in the neighborhood observed this and became upset that a 12-year-old was being arrested," the GRPD wrote on Facebook.
The scene escalated and more officers arrived. Jones said she tried to ask officers why her son was being arrested.
"And [the cop] is like 'Ma'am I am going to take you to jail for interfering,' and I'm like alright," Jones said. "So, I stepped away."
Car'reion kicked at one of the officers as he was taken to a cruiser.
"He was struggling away, he kicked one of the officers, and, I mean like he barely kicked him. He was just crying and freaked out and frustrated," Jauw said.
Car'reion was taken to the Kent County Jail and fingerprinted before being released back to his family.
According to GRPD's Facebook post: "The officers on scene used their discretion to not arrest the 12-year-old for felonious assault or assault on a police officer, but rather the least serious of the offenses: resisting and obstructing a police officer and disorderly fighting."
Jauw said he believes the incident could have been de-escalated.
"A huge opportunity was missed," Jauw said. "At some point, somebody among all of those officers could have said this kid made a mistake, or this kid was mis-profiled or this kid was just being a kid."
GRPD wrote on Facebook that they intend to release the body camera footage in the near future.
Read GRPD's full statement below:
► Emma Nicolas is a multimedia journalist. Have a news tip or question for Emma? Get in touch by email, Facebook or Twitter.
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