Advertisement Police release video after social media post claims officer drew gun on 11-year-old Body cam video released Friday Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The Spartanburg Police Department released body camera video on Friday to correct misinformation regarding a social media post. Police said officers responded to a 911 call involving juveniles who were in possession of a BB gun and were throwing rocks on June 29. A woman called 911 saying a juvenile in possession of a BB had used the BB earlier to shoot her son in the rear-end. She also reported that the juveniles had thrown rocks at her home and vehicle. Upon arrival, the officer located two juveniles, one walking and one appeared to be carrying a BB gun. The officer directed the boy to drop the gun, and the boy immediately placed the gun on the ground, police said. The officer then placed him in handcuffs and put him in the back of the patrol car while he attempted to locate the boy’s parents and gather additional information regarding the compliant, police said.A bystander on scene recorded a video that was posted on a social media site, police said. The following statement was posted along with the bystander’s video recording. “Very disturbing video. This happened in Spartanburg SC. We were told that this 11 year old boy was playing outside, throwing rocks when the police pulled up with guns drawn. He was eventually handcuffed behind his back and put into a patrol car. This little boy makes good grades, plays basketball, football, baseball and runs track. He also has been a participant in the Omega Camp for four years in a row. Our question for Spartanburg City Police Office is....does your policing policy include pulling out guns on and handcuffing 11 year old kids??? And yes, we saw the lady pick up the orange tip toy gun from the grass...we were told he was handcuffed because of rocks that were thrown...not because of a very obvious toy gun.”Police said the officer’s body camera shows the officer never un-holstered or drew his weapon during the incident. “Our policies, which are based on case law, do not prohibit the handcuffing of juveniles or any individuals identified as subjects during the initial phases of a police investigation,” said Major Art Littlejohn, Spartanburg Police Department. “In the interest of transparency, the Spartanburg Police Department is releasing the entire recording from the officer’s body worn camera. This un-narrated recording should correct some of the misinformation that has been shared and clear up assumptions and/or confusion,” said Littlejohn. Police said they met with both families involved in the incident, and their respective accounts of the events on June 29 differ.