Hands up: Toddler copies parents during US police stop | https://t.co/SzgaGERBVl pic.twitter.com/caQ95KhOlt
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) January 22, 2019
A video shared on social media showing a barefoot two-year-old girl walking towards armed police in Florida who had detained her parents led to criticism online, but police said bodycam footage told a fuller story.
Police had stopped the family’s car, after a call reporting shoplifters at Bealls Outlet in Tallahassee.
The vehicle matched the description provided to police, and the suspects were believed to be armed.
A pellet gun was later found in the car.
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Police Chief Michael Deleo defended his officers, saying bodycam footage showed the responding officers were following their training, and were compassionate to the girl and her family.
He said the incident proves the benefit of body-worn cameras providing different perspectives of the same incident.
The footage provided by the Tallahassee Police Department shows one of the police officers telling his colleague to let the girl's mother go "for now" so she can go to the toddler.
He also tries to reassure the girl, telling her she can put her hands down and "Go to Mommy."
After asking the parents if there is anyone else in the car, the mother is then allowed to go to the car and take her infant son out of his child seat.
