A video circulating on social media showing a terrified 10-year-old boy being handcuffed and detained by Chicago police over 'mistaken identity' has sparked outrage.
The video first tweeted on June 1, shows officers from the Chicago Police Department handcuffing the young black boy outside his grandmother's house after accusing him of being a juvenile runaway with a gun.
The boy, shocked and terrified by what's going on, is seen crying and then wetting his pants in fear as his grandmother says: "That's our kid, he ain't [sic] got no gun."
Thomas was kept in handcuffs for 15 minutes before the police finally removed them.
The incident was captured by Victor, the boy's uncle who shot the video with this mobile phone.
Chicago Police Department said the boy, identified by NBC News affiliate Chicago 5 as Michael Thomas Jr., ran away from them at first which led to them handcuffing him. They said the officers did not do anything 'wrong'.
Speaking to the Chicago Sun-Times Wednesday, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said the officers "followed all of the rules and protocols" when they detained Thomas and he matched the description of the suspect they sought — "a young man 10 to 12 years old that was passing out a gun."
"So, I'm not concerned about that at all," he added.
Michael's mother Starr Ramsey demanded answers from the police, accusing them of having traumatized her son.
"I want answers," she said. "You can look at him and tell he no teenager. Ten-years-old you get handcuffed? You scarred him for life."
Police are currently investigating the incident and have promised to contact the family about the mix-up.
In the last few years, the U.S. has witnessed nation-wide protests that were sparked by police brutality and racial discrimination toward blacks. More and more people have demanded justice and an end to the discrimination of black Americans through protests or social media campaigns. According to data collected by the activist group Killed by Police, nearly 1,500 confirmed police-involved deaths have occurred in the country since January 2014. The actual figure is likely much higher, as there is no verified U.S. database of police shootings.
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