EUCLID, Ohio (WJW) — Video released to the FOX 8 I-Team shows police at a park trying to get a stolen, loaded handgun out of the hands of a 12-year-old boy.
Euclid police said the incident shows what police are up against with guns getting in young hands.
“We were called to Heritage Park around 6:30 Friday evening after a caller told a dispatcher that a 12-year-old was displaying a gun in a park full of kids,” said Capt. Jeff Cutwright. “He was also telling people he has a gun. Our officers got there as quick as possible.”
When police arrived, the boy grabbed a purse that contained the stolen, loaded handgun. The officer asked him several times to put down the purse but he refused.
“The officer kept asking him to put down the purse, and he kept saying he couldn’t put it down,” said Chief Scott Meyer.
The child was then placed in handcuffs and put in the back seat of the cruiser.
“When the boy’s mother and an older brother arrived they were upset at the officers for detaining him,” the chief said. “We can’t let a 12-year-old be in a park with a loaded, stolen handgun. I was angry that another parent would act that way towards the police.”
Meyer said the situation could have turned tragic quickly. He is urging parents to talk to their children about the dangers of firearms and the importance of listening to police.
The boy was taken to the police station and released to his parents.
Police are still trying to determine how the child got the stolen gun. The case is under review and charges are expected to be filed soon.
