Boy, 13, rammed off his bike and handcuffed by armed cops after they mistook his water pistol for a real gun
A BOY aged 13 was rammed off his bike and surrounded by armed cops after police mistook his water pistol for a real gun.
The teen was having a water fight with his younger sibling when a police officer on patrol reported a potential firearms incident.
He was swarmed by marksmen after being rammed off his bike by a police van in Hackney, East London, and handcuffed.
The Alliance for Police Accountability (APA) has slammed the treatment of the youngster.
They said the water pistol was unmistakably a toy, with one of the fake weapons blue and white and the other pink and white.
A statement said: “The subsequent treatment of Child X and the horrific scene that unfolded was appalling.
“A police van rammed Child X off his bicycle, knocking him to the ground.
“He was surrounded by armed police officers who pointed their firearms at him and arrested him on suspicion of being in possession of a firearm.
“He was de-arrested at the scene soon afterwards, once his mother had arrived and challenged what was happening, but she too was treated with contempt by the officers when she sought an explanation for their conduct from them.”
An internal probe by the Met Police found no misconduct had been committed by the officers involved.
A further complaint accusing them of racial bias is still being investigated by the force’s standards department.
Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, in charge of policing for Hackney and Tower Hamlets, said he had apologised to the family.
He said: “This incident was understandably extremely distressing for the boy involved as well as the rest of his family.
“We know it may cause public concern and we want to help the public understand why we responded in the way we did.
“This does not in any way detract from our recognition of the trauma caused to the boy, for which I apologised soon afterwards to his family.”
The Independent Office for Police Conduct watchdog directed the Met could carry out both investigations itself.