JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville social justice group is rallying behind the family of a 14-year-old boy arrested and charged with armed burglary and possession of a firearm by a minor. Both the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC) and JSO posted the teen’s photo and details of the arrest on social media.
JCAC said the teen was attacked by a JSO K-9 and beaten during the arrest. News4JAX is not naming the 14-year-old because he is a juvenile.
Recommended Videos
In a social media post last week, JCAC said the teen and a friend were stopped for jaywalking, then harassed by officers who accused them of tampering with vehicles and possessing weapons. The group said officers used racial slurs, stomped on the teen’s ribs and that a police dog bit him on his arms, legs and back. The post said the teen did “nothing wrong” besides walking with his friend.
JSO disputed the account two days later, posting what it called a correction to “misinformation.” The Sheriff’s Office said the 14-year-old was arrested not for jaywalking but for “actively committed armed car burglaries.” JSO said officers saw the teen and another juvenile breaking into a car, identified themselves and ordered them to stop, but both ran while holding guns.
JSO said the teen refused commands to stop, prompting a K-9 handler to deploy a dog, which bit the teen and caused him to stop running and drop the gun. JSO said the teen was arrested on nine counts of armed burglary and possession of a firearm by a minor. The agency also described the teen as 5-foot-10 and 275 pounds in its post.
Kiersten Gilmore of JCAC said the Sheriff’s Office’s description of the teen’s size was used to justify the level of force.
“They’re going about it by describing the height and weight of a child,” Gilmore said.
Gilmore said JCAC is concerned about the use of police dogs and what it calls excessive force in arrests. She also criticized JSO for posting the teen’s mugshot, though JCAC had identified him first.
JCAC is calling for body-camera footage to be released and for the teen to be released to his mother. The group is also urging the city to create a public safety oversight committee.
JSO told News4JAX that it is working to release the body camera footage as soon as possible.