


The boy’s mother, Bernice Jones, said her son was playing and chasing a cousin, and that police overreacted. She said she tried to tell police to “hold on” because he was just 12.

The department summarized its response in a Facebook post following a witness’ post criticizing officers, who were described as mostly white. The department also on Monday opened an investigation to determine if the case was handled properly, though no officers were placed on leave.

“Not knowing the youth’s age or the circumstances of what was going on, the officer placed the youth in handcuffs,” the post reads. “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.

“This required the assistance of additional officers until the circumstances surrounding the situation could get sorted out.”


“The officer who handcuffed the boy made a snap decision that should have been handled differently,” Jauw wrote. “Given the other choices he was now supposedly trained to have. No one was de-escalating the situation. No one was using the judgment that had been granted in that change in policy.




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