GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Interim Police Chief David Kiddle said officers acted appropriately when they arrested a 12-year-old boy last weekend.
On Thursday, Grand Rapids police released body camera footage of the incident and Kiddle said the officers correctly followed the department’s Youth Interaction Policy.
“All the officers on scene are calm, professional and respectful. The young man, despite his resistance, is treated appropriately, as we would expect,” Kiddle said. “There is no force used other than to restrain him from pulling away.”
The family of Carreion Baker disagrees with that assessment, and say the police overreacted to him playing with his cousin.
Officers were called to the area on a report of a large fight, but say they saw the boy chasing after someone with a wooden pole. Police say Carreion didn’t listen to their commands and resisted officers when he was being put in handcuffs, which he admitted to doing out of confusion.
Body camera video shows him explaining why he was chasing the man once he was in the back of a cruiser.
Carreion’s father, Carroll Baker, says police shouldn’t have questioned him at all without one of his parents or an attorney being there.
“Y’all over did y’all boundaries as being police officers, and when we tried to talk to you all to calm the situation down, you left and turned your backs on us, then asked my son a question in the car without his parents’ permission,” Carroll Baker said. “Because I would have told you, ‘don’t ask my son nothing.’”
Carroll Baker said he has filed a complaint with the department’s Internal Affairs.
Carreion faces a misdemeanor charge of disorderly fighting. Kiddle said there will likely be leniency because of his age.
