Georgia Cop Reportedly Pulls Gun on Children Building Tree Fort After Neighbor Calls 911
Police in Henry County, Ga., reportedly harassed a group of pre-teen boys who were building a tree fort in the woods behind their house after a neighbor called 911 on them (!). According to Omari Grant, the 11-year-old who came forward,
two officers, one with his gun drawn, rolled up on him and a few of his friends as they built a fort in the trees behind his home.
"I was thinking that I don't want to be shot today, so I just listened to what they said," Omari said.
Omari said the officer holding his gun also used foul language and made him and his friends lay down on the ground.
"I learned that they're supposed to help you not make you feel scared to even come outside," Omari said.
Omari's mother filed an internal affairs complaint with the police department, and police say they're now investigating the incident to see if it was "justified" or not.
The husband of the neighbor who called 911 said police pulling a gun on a child was "shocking," but that his wife called because of "falling hazards, tripping hazards, all types of hazards." His wife's primary concern, he said, "was concern for the children and concern for the environment." So instead of calling her neighbors, or going to warn the children about "hazards," she called police on a group of kids.
After the incident, which the child called terrifying, Omari says now he knows it was a bad idea to cut down branches for a tree fort. It's never too early for police to compel compliance in you.
The police department refuses to identify the cops involved, but says they remain on the job.
h/t sloopyinca