A man has been praised for comforting a young black boy after he was handcuffed by police in East London, with witnesses saying the boy had been 'playfighting' with friends. The incident occurred on Sunday, July 26, on Pepper Street in Crossharbour.
Video shows handcuffed child and passerby intervention
A video posted on social media shows two plainclothed police officers handcuffing the young boy. In the footage, officers explain they intervened because from a distance it appeared the children were fighting, and they noted that 'kids as young as you, with weapons, knives' are a concern. The boy responded that he 'did nothing'.
A passerby waited and comforted the child, telling him to 'relax' and asking the officers to 'be gentle, he's a child'. The video drew online praise for the man's support. The person who posted the video claimed the boy and his white friends were 'playfighting' near a train station before police chased them.
Metropolitan Police statement
The Metropolitan Police released a statement saying the video shows 'only a section of what took place'. They wrote: 'Our officers were on patrol in the area where they witnessed a group fighting. From a distance, it was not possible to tell how old they were. On noticing the police officers, the group ran from the area and dispersed items - including a balaclava - as they did so.'
Officers pursued two of the group on foot and detained one boy near Pepper Street, where a stop and search was carried out. The statement added: 'That decision wasn't based on race; the other boy just got away from a second officer. The stop and search was done respectfully, and officers fully explained why they had chased and stopped the boy.'
No offences identified
Police confirmed that no offences were identified and all involved were given words of advice around their behaviour, including about running from police and wearing balaclavas, which 'while not an offence in itself, has the potential to intimidate the public and will inevitably draw the attention of officers'.
Commenters on X praised the man. One wrote: 'Thank god for that man stepping in and calming the poor boy down.' Another said: 'A little over the top, to say the least. Whatever happened to stopping someone, having a word, and issuing a warning? In my opinion, this arrest was unnecessary, and his parents should have been informed on the spot. Respect to the man for stepping in, reminding the officer he's dealing with a child, and keeping the boy calm though.'
