The father of a young boy seen in a viral video being handcuffed and placed in the back of a squad car by police in Lansing, Michigan, says he will not accept an apology from the police department.
Michael Bernard was caught on that same video visibly agitated by the incident and disputing his son’s detainment by officers at his apartment complex.
His 12-year-old son, Tashawn, was just taking out the trash when he was approached by an officer searching for a car theft suspect in the area. Because his son’s clothing matched the description of the suspect, the officer cuffed and detained him.
After Tashawn didn’t return from completing the chore, Bernard, who had been washing dishes in the kitchen, went outside to check on him. Once he saw the police presence and his son in handcuffs, he began arguing with officers to question why his son had been cuffed. One officer told Bernard that he would explain in “a little while.”
“I said, ‘No, I don’t want – I want you to tell me right now why my son is in handcuffs,’” Bernard told CNN this week, adding that his son was frightened by the encounter. “Once he saw my presence, it gave him that comfort, his daddy is here.”
It didn’t take long for police to realize their mixup. Another officer who saw the actual suspect notified police at the scene of the detainment. That’s when they released Tashawn.
Tashawn later told his father what happened from his point of view. He said that a police vehicle approached him after he finished dumping the trash, and he saw an officer get out of the car and unholster his gun.
Police released a brief report on what led up to the wrongful detainment. They called the incident an “unfortunate misunderstanding.” The Lansing Police Department also issued a statement apologizing to the Bernard family.
“I want to apologize that this incident had such an effect on this young man and his family,” Chief Ellery Sosebee said. He also requested that the community consider “all the facts of the situation before making a judgment.”
Tashawn’s father said an apology wouldn’t make up for what happened.
“I will never accept an apology. My son did not deserve to be treated the way they treat(ed) him. No way, no shape or form,” Bernard said. “Justice for my son. That’s all I want. Nothing else.”
Lansing Mayor Andy Schor also apologized and said the department has reached out to the family and offered resources and support “for any trauma involved.”
“Our officers do their absolute best to protect Lansing, but in this case a mistake was made, and we own it and apologize to those affected,” Schor said.
Police said the suspect they were looking for had on neon shorts and a white shirt. Rico Neal, a family attorney for the Bernards, said that even though Tashawn had on neon shorts, his shirt was light blue or gray and his shoes were “different.”
Neal says the family would like to see the police department hold the officers involved accountable. The family is mulling over the option to pursue legal action against the city, but they want to investigate the incident further. They said they want to make sure Tashawn sees “justice.”
