Viral Video Shows Cops Arresting 8-Year-Old Boy For Stealing Bag Of Chips

Police in Syracuse, New York are being denoounced over a viral video that showed three officers arresting an 8-year-old boy for allegedly stealling a bag of Doritos from a convenience store.

In the now viral video, the officers can be seen holding the little boy from behind and taking him to a marked police vehicle.

"What is y'all doing?" Kenneth Jackson, who recorded the shocking episode, asks an officer holding the child by his arms as he cries.

"Guess. Take a guess what I'm doing," the officer responds.

Jackson continues to question the officers to explain why they’re taking the child into custody.

"He looks like a baby to me. I don’t know what you’re doing. So what’s going on, then?," Jackson says.

Another officer tells Jackson the boy "was stealing stuff".

"Nah, man, so he’s stealing a bag of chips, you’re treating him like an old cold******** killer?" Jackson tells the officers as they put the child in the car.

"If he stole some chips, I’ll pay for them! I’ll pay for them! Leave him alone! He’s a kid!" he shouts.

Speaking to the Post-Standard, the boy’s father, Anthony Weah, said that police came to his home after the incident and told him his three boys were accused of stealing a bag of chips.

The father said the officers were friendly and didn’t press any charges on the boys — but he was shocked when he saw the arrest video on social media later.

"Why would the police treat that child like that? Over a $3 bag of chips," Weah told the news outlet, adding that he wants to sue the police.

Weah agrees that what his son did was wrong, but is dissappointed about the way the officers handled the boy, which is being investigated by the department.

"The policemen, they are not children. They are not boys, they’re men," Weah told the paper.

Weah said he is grateful Jackson was there to question the police brutality.

"He was standing up for them," Weah said.

Jackson started recording the incident after seeing police had pulled someone off a bicycle.

"He got snatched off that bike. The bike hit the ground and chips went everywhere," Jackson said. "It was just beyond me that they were actually treating this baby like this."

Jackson added: "There’s other ways to rectify this besides scare tactics. Now that’s just another youth that’s scarred by the system."

Mayor Ben Walsh expressed his concerne after watching the video.

"The officer knew the child from prior interactions and explained to him that he was being taken home," Walsh said. "The officers returned the child to his family and discussed the incident with his father before leaving without filing any charges."

The mayor has asked Syracuse Police Chief Ken Buckner and the department to investigate the incident.

"We are aware of a video being shared on social media involving several of our Officers and juveniles accused of stealing from a store on the City’s northside. The incident, including the Officers’ actions and body-worn cameras, is 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," the Syracuse police said in a statement.