A Delaware teen was baffled when he was arrested for jaywalking in June. A judge dismissed the charges against him, but his mom says the officers should have never detained her son in the first place.
In an interview with Delaware Online, Paula Wright said her 17-year-old son was treated unfairly because the local police are actually the problem. “I think they’re absolutely unhinged,” she said. “To be honest with you, I think that they’re the biggest gang in Delaware.”
According to reports underscored by video footage captured by the teen, the incident occurred in the afternoon on June 8, when Wright’s son was walking with a group of friends in the Dunlieth community. The recording shows the moment an officer pulls up and exits his car to engage the group, and a back-and-forth ensues.
“Stop it, you guys, stop,” the officer demands. “Why are you stopping me,” the teen asks before the officer reiterates his command, saying, “I’m telling you to stop.”
“What you stopping me for,” the teen asks again before the officer responds, “You’re about to be detained right now if you don’t stop.” The teen asks again, “What you trying to detain me for? … Tell us.”
“Stop walking and just chill. … Right now, we’re stopping you for a pedestrian violation,” the officer answers before asking, “You guys got ID on you?” Still inquisitive, the teen continues his line of questioning by asking, “Pedestrian violation of what?”
At this point, the officer seems to have grown weary of the teen’s questions. “Alright, turn around and put your hands behind your back,” the officer responds in an exasperated tone before handcuffing the teen, as well, while those who are with him protest.
“What am I being searched for,” the teen asks while being handcuffed. “Right now, you’re being detained because you are uncooperating with a traffic stop,” the officer answers. “How am I being a traffic stop? I’m not in a vehicle, sir,” the teen asks.
“It’s called a pedestrian stop,” the officer responds. When the teen asks for clarity again on what a pedestrian stop is, the officer forcefully replies, “You want to shut the f—k up and let me explain it to you? … You crossed the road without using the crosswalk.”
To this, the teen replies, “Oh, alright.” Then the officer asks for the teen’s name, and the teen replies, but the video is bleeped out, so it is unclear what he says. Shortly after the video ends. According to the teen, the officer stopped the recording.
The teen, who was the only one in the group to get a ticket for jaywalking, said he was so inquisitive because he’s interested in law. “Honestly, I just wanted to know,” he told Delaware Online.
He also told his mother the officer began questioning him about his brother, who has a criminal history, and saying he hadn’t seen him in a long time.
“I don’t understand if he thought it was going to get me angry or what he thought it was going to possibly do,” the teen said in an interview about the officer’s comments. “I don’t know. I’m still in shock about it.”
Wright believes her son was targeted because of who his brother is.
“They’re singling out my son because of who his brother is,” she said. “If they were not singling my son out because of who his brother is, my son would not have been the only one to receive a citation for jaywalking.”
However, police officials said the officer recognized the name from a previous encounter with the brother, and he was only making “small talk.”
A police spokesperson also said the officers were justified in their reasoning for stopping the teens.
“Shortly after this, the officers witnessed the same group run across New Castle Avenue without utilizing a proper crosswalk,” said Senior Cpl. Richard Chambers. “While crossing the road, one of the individuals was observed running recklessly through active traffic, nearly causing an accident.”
Most notably, the spokesperson said that one of the teens was seen griping his waistband as though he had a weapon that was falling from his pants, but the official did not specify if that person was Wright’s son.
“Additionally, two subjects were wearing hooded sweatshirts with the hoods up,” Chambers continued, explaining the officers’ suspicions. “Officers observed this to be odd as it was approximately 80 degrees.”
As for why Wright’s son was the only teen in the group arrested, the officer did not see them run through traffic in the same “reckless manner” as the teen who was arrested, Chambers said.
The charge was dropped during a June 25 hearing.
