City’s police chief and mayor appeal to witnesses to the alleged incident involving 10-year-old Taye Montgomery at a protest against police shooting

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

New York state police handcuff and shackle 'combative' five-year-old Read more

Authorities in Minneapolis have launched an investigation into reports that police pepper-sprayed a 10-year-old boy who was with his mother at a demonstration to protest against police shootings.



Speaking to reporters on Thursday the boy, Taye Montgomery, asked protesters to remain peaceful and said: “At least I got Maced and not shot.”

City police chief Janeé Harteau and Mayor Betsy Hodges called for the public’s help, meanwhile, appealing for witnesses who had seen what happened or recorded video of the incident, which is alleged to have occurred on Wednesday night.

“We need to speak with the public who marched, and motorists. We must have a full set of facts,” Harteau said at a press conference.

Taye, 10, took part in a demonstration in downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. The demonstration was organized principally to protest against the decision the previous day not to charge the police officer who shot dead teenager Tony Robinson in Madison, Wisconsin, in March.

Police said the protest became unruly, with demonstrators stopping traffic and harassing motorists. When officers pushed back one group of protesters, an officer used pepper spray on the crowd. The chemical reportedly hit Taye.

A cellphone video shot by a bystander picked up the sound of high-pitched screaming that the boy’s mother, Susan Montgomery, said was the sound of her son in pain, according to the Star Tribune.

Taye Montgomery was later photographed crying and in pain in a nearby hotel, as his mother and friends poured milk on his eyes.

Susan Montgomery said police had given no warning that they were going to spray people.

Taye Montgomery told reporters on Thursday: “It hurt. I couldn’t see where I was going, I couldn’t find my mom.”

A police report said some protesters on Wednesday night “engaged motorists, jumping on cars and trying to pull open doors. Officers pushed back the crowds to get the motorists out of harm’s way … Chemical aerosol was used to drive back the hostile crowds.”



Protestors can be seen on video burning American flags. One wears a sweatshirt saying “Police State USA”, above a motif of an American flag upside down.

Taye Montgomery led a smaller, peaceful protest in the city on Thursday, at which he shouted into a megaphone: “We need to love one another.”

One police officer questioned a mother taking her son to a nighttime demonstration, according to the Star Tribune. Susan Montgomery said she hoped such protests would “break cycles and make change”.

Harteau said she had spoken to Susan Montgomery.

“We are both mothers, and we had a good conversation,” she said.

Mayor Hodges called for peaceful demonstrations, saying they were “part of our history”.