An investigation found armed police acted reasonably in arresting a boy, 13, who was playing with a water pistol in Hackney, London
Hackney: So, there was this incident where armed police arrested a 13-year-old boy because they thought he had a real gun. Turns out, it was just a water pistol. The Independent Office for Police Conduct looked into it and said the officers acted reasonably given the situation.
The boy’s mom was understandably upset and claimed her son faced discrimination because he’s black. But the investigation found that the officers were just trying to keep everyone safe after a report of a firearm.
According to the IOPC, the first officer genuinely believed he saw a real gun. They followed the proper procedures by sending armed officers to check it out. They didn’t find any evidence of misconduct, so no disciplinary action was taken against the officers.
What happened was that a police officer saw a guy on a bike pull out something that looked like a handgun and point it at someone. The officer described it as blue and white, kind of like a Glock. So, they called in the armed response team.
When the armed officers found the boy, they used their vehicle to stop him, which caused him to hit a wall. They surrounded him with their guns drawn and arrested him. The boy told them it was just a water gun, but it was a pretty scary situation for him.
After the whole ordeal, the boy was taken to the hospital for some bruises from the collision. The police did apologize to the family for the distress caused, but it’s still a tough experience for a kid to go through.