Another disturbing incident in Newark shows how police racially profile and jump to conclusions when it comes to incidents involving young Black men.
A community is reeling after a 10-year-old boy was chased down by police who believed he was the 20-year-old suspect from a nearby armed robbery, WABC reports.
Legend Preston, a fifth grader, was traumatized after Newark police brandished loaded guns while chasing him down a nearby alley.
“Some police started coming this way with guns pointed at me, and then I ran into the backyard,” Legend told WABC.
His mother, Patisha Solomon, was in the house at the time of the incident and afterwards posted her son’s emotional reaction in a video on Facebook.
“These policemen who had guns drawn on my child are still on these streets,” Solomon said in her Facebook post.
Solomon said when she told police her son was just a minor, they yelled back, “He fits the description!” Neighbors and friends circled around the young boy in order to protect him from the police.
According to the New York Daily News, a spokesperson for the Newark Police Department said the officers did have guns drawn, but never pointed their weapons at Preston.
Police announced they eventually caught the suspect, 20-year-old Casey Joseph Robinson, who was charged with armed robbery.
Check out today’s Top Stories here:
- Maurette Brown Clark Takes On The #SoGoneChallenge [Video]
- Baltimore County Boy Becomes Youngest Recipient Of Double-Hand Transplant
- First-Year Chicago Teacher Creates Catchy Rap Song To Welcome 4th-Grade Class
Want gospel news at your fingertips? Text BMORE to 52140 to join our text club!
Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
SOURCE: WABC, New York Daily News
Newark Cops Mistake Unarmed 10-Year-Old Black Boy For Armed Robber was originally published on newsone.com