As Florida police confronted suspected shoplifters, body cam video shows a suspect’s young daughter approach the cops with her hands up.
Footage of a barefoot 2-year-old in Florida with her arms up in the air as police arrest one of her parents is raising eyebrows.
Tallahassee police pulled over a vehicle containing two suspected shoplifters. Two men are handcuffed while a woman was in the car.
After the adults exited the vehicle, a small girl’s feet are seen dangling beneath the car door as she was trying to get out. The little girl then mimicked her father, who was under arrest, and puts her hands up in the air.
A woman can be heard in the video, and she seems to think one officer is pointing his gun at the toddler. However, police said the weapons were pointed at the vehicle.
The Tallahassee Police Department released new body cam video of the situation. The sergeant repeatedly assured the girl that everything was going to be ok.
"The reason the officers didn't approach her is that she didn't know them and she might have run off into traffic,” police told Inside Edition.
Police didn't handcuff her mom so that she could take care of the girl.
There was a 1-year-old who remained in the car, strapped in a car seat that was improperly installed. An officer even helped the mom get the baby out.
When officers searched the vehicle they found a pellet gun.
“The body camera footage shows the officers' concern for the children and their compassion as they permitted the mother to care for the children,” Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo told the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper. “I am proud of how officers handled the situation, how they adapted when they became aware of the children, the level of concern and compassion they showed to the family.”
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