The Montgomery County Police Department has released year-old body camera footage from an incident involving the arrest of a 5-year-old-boy. Community members are outraged by how the young boy was treated, and are now calling for the officers to be fired, NBC Washington reports.
via: Complex
The incident, which occurred in January 2020, saw the two officers stop the young boy, ask him how old he was, and proceed to scream at him until he cried before handcuffing him.
“Does your mama spank you? Does your mama spank you? She’s going to spank you today,” one of the officers can be heard saying at one point.
Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando released a statement on Friday condemning the officers’ actions.
TRIGGER WARNING: MCPD has released the body cam footage I have been requesting related to the 5 year old detained by police, my statement and a link to the footage below. pic.twitter.com/joJlwdiHNl
— Will Jawando (@willjawando) March 26, 2021
“I watched in horror as what can only be described as a nightmare unfolded for nearly an hour,” Jawando said, per NBC News. “It made me sick.”
“Our heart aches for this student. There is no excuse for adults to ever speak to or threaten a child in this way,” he continued. “As parents and grandparents, we know that when families send their children to school, they expect that the staff will care for them, keep them safe and use appropriate intervention processes when needed.”
The council member called for the officers to be fired and for a thorough investigation of the police department to take place. Community leaders also came together and penned an open letter calling for the officers to be fired. They highlighted that this incident happened a year ago, yet no action has been taken.
See the full body camera footage below, and be warned, it is disturbing.
