Wisconsin police said they arrested three boys and an adult after a scuffle erupted over complaints they were selling candy door to door.
Body cam footage has been released of the arrests of three Black children and an adult who were selling candy in a Wisconsin neighborhood. The four were taken into custody after a scuffle with officers answering complaints about the door-to-door solicitations, authorities said.
The video released last week by the Greendale Police Department, shows three children, ranging in age from 11 to 13, being handcuffed after tussling with officers on Oct. 17. Also arrested was Darrell Brown, 30, who was supervising the group, police said.
The arrests capped several interactions that day between the group and police, who were responding to complaints from residents that the group was knocking on doors, authorities said.
It began when officers told the boys and Brown that they couldn't sell candy door to door without a permit, police said, and the group agreed to leave.
But an hour later, one of the kids — an 11-year-old boy — reported to 911 that he had been attacked.
"Five white boys and they was on bicycles. One of 'em had a mountain bike and all the rest of them had regular bicycles," he told a responding officer, according to the videos.
"I want to get these kids as much as your family does," said Greendale Lt. Bridgette Musial. Greendale police said they "received minimal information" from the boy about his attackers, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Police said they searched the area for possible suspects. Then another call came in about the group, saying they were at a house and refused to leave, authorities said.
Brown told the responding officers that one of the boys who attacked the 11-year-old was inside the house, according to the body cam footage.
Brown "became belligerent" and threatened to take matters into his own hands, police said in a statement. At that point, he was arrested.
"In the process of taking the adult into custody, three of the juveniles started to interfere in this arrest. They were warned multiple times to cease interfering and to leave the area, all of which they ignored. The three juveniles were advised they were under arrest. All three juveniles physically resisted officers’ attempts to take them into custody," a statement by police said.
Brown refused treatment at a nearby hospital and was cited for resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and abuse of the 911 system, police said. The children were cited for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, and their cases have been referred to juvenile court, authorities said.
The incident has drawn protesters who demonstrated outside the police department, saying officers overreacted in arresting the children. The Greendale Police Department declined to respond those accusations when contacted Monday by Inside Edition Digital.
Police are continuing to investigate the 11-year-old's report of being attacked, the department said.
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