A video shared on Twitter is generating a lot of attention on social media.
In it, Syracuse Police officers can be seen pushing a young boy into a patrol vehicle. Kenneth Jackson took the video on Easter Sunday.
“Just heard a lot of kids, a kid screaming, like, for help or whatever. Just, ‘get off me, get off me.’ As I walked around the corner, I see officers trying to snatch this kid off of a bike at the time,” said Jackson.
In the video, someone yells, “a 10-year-old boy,” and “we’re talking chips here.”
Syracuse Police said the child was accused of larceny, or stealing without force.
The incident happened outside of Sham Deli and Grocery on the city's north side.
An employee who worked that day confirmed he recognized the child and said he and a group of kids were in the store, but he didn’t know if they stole anything and didn’t call police.
A part of Jackson’s video was shared in a Twitter post, which gained a lot of views fast. Around noon Tuesday, the video had around 500,000 views. By 3 p.m., it had 1.5 million.
Jackson said he began recording the video after the child was allegedly removed from the bike by two officers. Police said they did not put the boy in handcuffs, though his hands can be seen behind his back.
“I mean, in that situation, when you’re dealing with a hysterical child and he’s lashing out because he’s afraid, had that kid ended up and reached back and grabbed that officer’s Taser or gun or anything, that could have transpired to cause that child to lose his life,” said Jackson.
Jackson said there were three officers there and he believes they were using excessive force on the child.
“You need to sit down and have a real conversation with the community as a whole and come to some type of resolution on how to police when it comes to youth, just policing period," Jackson said. "Be more aware of other people’s circumstances and situations, be more compassionate, especially when it comes to the youth. No one deserves to be treated the way that baby was treated."
A statement from a Syracuse Police spokesperson said, in part: “The incident, including the officers' actions and body-worn cameras, are being reviewed. There is some misinformation involving this case. The juvenile suspected of larceny was not placed in handcuffs. He was placed in the rear of a patrol unit, where he was directly brought home. Officers met with the child’s father and no charges were filed.”
Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said in a statement he was concerned when he first saw the video.
"What occurred demonstrates the continuing need for the City to provide support to our children and families and to invest in alternative response options to assist our officers," he said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul commented on the incident in a press conference in Syracuse Wednesday, saying in part, "As a mother, that was a heart wrenching video to witness."
Hochul says Black and brown communities are not shocked by the video, claiming they have been "conditioned differently" when it comes to policing.
"We will do better," she said.