In Syracuse, New York, an 11-year-old girl was handcuffed by Onondaga County Sheriff’s deputies after being mistaken for a car theft suspect. The incident happened on Monday afternoon as a group of children walked home from school and stopped to play in the snow.
Deputies approached the group and detained the girl, saying she matched the description of someone who stole a Kia and ran from a traffic stop. The description included a pink jacket and camouflage pants, which the girl was wearing. Her cousin recorded the event on her phone as the girl was handcuffed behind her back.
The children repeatedly told the deputies they had the wrong person, but the officers insisted they were lying and showed them a photo of the suspect. One deputy said to the girl, “Girl, you gonna tell me this ain’t you?”
The situation escalated when more deputies arrived, and the girl, overwhelmed, began crying. Eventually, the deputies realized they had made a mistake, noting that the actual suspect had longer hair. They removed the handcuffs and apologized to the girl and the other children, explaining that it was an error based on the suspect’s description.
The girl’s mother, who asked to remain anonymous, expressed her shock and frustration. She said her daughter is now too scared to walk to and from school, which was her only sense of independence. “I can’t make sense of it,” the mother said. “Even if it wasn’t my child, I wouldn’t be able to finish watching the video because that’s not how you handle children.”
The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office later explained that the deputies’ actions were “lawful and reasonable” given the circumstances. They said the girl was detained due to her clothing and location near where the actual suspect fled.
In a statement, the sheriff’s office defended the use of handcuffs, saying it is standard procedure to ensure safety and prevent detainees from fleeing, fighting, or destroying evidence. They also clarified that determining a person’s age is part of the detainment process.
Sheriff Toby Shelley met with the girl’s mother to discuss her concerns, calling the conversation productive. The sheriff’s office stated that, moving forward, their policy would include notifying a parent or guardian immediately when a child is detained.
