Body cam footage released following claims that Raleigh cops pointed rifles at autistic child
After claims that Raleigh Police tactical officers pointed rifles at a 6-year-old autistic boy, the department released body camera video that proved to be inconclusive.
LaDonna Clark demanded accountability in the police department during a meeting with city leaders earlier this month in response to the incident, which took place on Nov. 11, 2018. Clark said when she learned of what happened, she filed a complaint and requested the video.
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“My senior citizen parents, as well as my 6-year-old son with autism and cerebral palsy, experienced the most terrorizing experience of their lives,” Clark said, according to ABC 11. “On a 35 degree and rainy night, my son with autism was forced out of the home with military-style rifles aimed at him and made to sit on the cold, wet ground for over an hour by RPD Swat.”
“However, the joke was on me, because not only was I not allowed to see the footage of my son being terrorized, I was told by Sgt. Neville that I could not get an I.A. number and I would need to identify the actual offenses of the officers involved, as well as do a verbal interview before I would be able to get an I.A. number,” she added. She said a lack of action from city council members had given Raleigh police officers a “free pass.”
The police were in the home looking for one of Clark’s relatives, Brian Clark, who along with two other people, robbed an AT&T store. Police knew he wasn’t living at the home at the time, LaDonna Clark said before the Feb. 5 meeting.
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The incident was under investigation, according to a statement released by after the February meeting. Raleigh police say that because Clark has a criminal history and was believed to have used a weapon during the robbery, they requested assistance from the Selective Enforcement Unit.
“The safety and well-being of all Raleigh residents is a top priority for the Raleigh Police Department,” Raleigh Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown said in the statement. “The incident has been, and is still being reviewed by the Raleigh Police Department Office of Professional Standards.”
