A Newark, NJ mother is still mortified by the irresponsible actions of the local police department after officers chased her 10-year-old son believing he was a wanted armed robber.
About two weeks ago, Legend Preston was playing basketball near a garage on Stuyvesant Avenue with some friends. He allegedly was chasing after a basketball when he noticed a few officers staring at him. Scared, Legend ran. Cops began chasing Legend with guns drawn. I think it goes without saying that the 10 year old was unarmed.
“I was scared for my life,” Legend said. “I was thinking that they were going to shoot me.”
The New York Daily News reports, neighbors had to intervene and create a human wall between Legend and police. As they screamed “He’s a boy!” Police countered with “He fits the description.”
The description they were referring to was that of 20-year-old Casey Joseph Robinson, obviously not 10-year-old Legend Preston.
“When I think about my child staring at the end of a gun,” PaTisha Solomon, 30, told the Daily News. “One wrong move, and my child wouldn’t be here right now. My son could have tripped. He could have reached for a toy. They could have done anything to my son and it could have been his fault.”
Solomon captured the aftermath on Facebook and it has gone viral. Watch the clip below:
