LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – The family of 12-year-old Tashawn Bernard is suing the Lansing Police Department in federal court, claiming he was unlawfully detained.
It stems from a viral incident in August 2023 where Lansing police say the boy looked like a suspect wanted in a string of car thefts and was temporarily detained until officers confirmed he wasn’t who they were looking for.
The 29-page complaint was filed in late July of this year. In it, the family is seeking damages for the “serious mental anguish” and “emotional distress” Bernard suffered.
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Body and dash camera video obtained by 6 News shortly after the incident took place shows the moment when Bernard was stopped by police.
Video shows an officer approach a vehicle with a weapon drawn before handcuffing Bernard and sitting him in the back of his police car, with the boy being audibly upset and confused by the encounter.
The suit claims Lansing police officers “acted in a deliberate, grossly negligent, and/or reckless manner.” Attorneys for his family argue that Bernard did not fit the description of the subject, and could have been released to his father, who was standing nearby, rather than handcuffed and placed in a police car…