The Cobb County police officer making the arrest has been criticized by some people who claim he was being too harsh on the child.
A Georgia police officer’s arrest of a 12-year-old rapper at shopping mall is s being criticized by some people who believe he went too far.
Cops say rapper Lil C-Note was selling his CDs at a mall in Atlanta without a license. When he was approached by a police officer, the youngster's aunt began recording on her cellphone.
“You're gonna go to a youth detention center if you don't stop,” the cop told the boy during the Oct. 6 incident. “You’re about to go to jail."
His aunt then interrupts, saying: “He's not doing anything. He had his rights. He's not even doing anything right now, sir."
Police claim the aunt then "physically attacked" the officer.
The video ends with the 12-year-old being held by another cop.
Both the rapper and his aunt have been charged with obstruction and disorderly conduct.
Some are slamming the officer for his treatment of the boy.
"He would never be treating a little white kid like this," said one critic.
Cops said the officer did nothing wrong.
“A lot of people say he was manhandling him. The officer, all he was doing was holding the young man by the arm,” Cobb County Police Chief Michael Register said at a press conference this week. “During that interaction, the juvenile continued to be verbally resistant to give any information."
Register said the department has launched an internal investigation into the incident. Register also said that there is more to the video that is not seen, such as the boy has been warned twice about selling his CDs at the mall without authorization.
In the past, Lil C-Note has appeared on the “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” where he demonstrated how he sold CDs to people.
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