[WATCH] New York Police Officers Detains 8-Year-Old Boy Over Bag of Chips

New York Woman Driven to Wrong Address Shot Dead by Homeowner — A New York woman on her way to a friend's house was driven to the wrong address and shot to death by the homeowner. (not the actual story) KENA BETANCUR/ AFP

The public is demanding answers after a video showing policemen in Syracuse, New York, placing a crying 8-year-old Black boy in the back of a police cruiser, went viral.

A boy weeps while being arrested in a viral video. Meanwhile, Kenneth Jackson, the citizen who is filming the incident, summons the cops. The authorities, on the other hand, stepped up their response to the situation.

Viral Video Shows a Boy Wailing While Being Detained

Meanwhile, Kenneth Jackson, the citizen who is filming the incident, summons the cops. The authorities, on the other hand, escalated their response, referring to the 8-year-old as a thief.

In the footage, which has received over 5 million views on social media in only a few days, one officer can be seen detaining the youngster with both arms before placing him in a police van. Off-camera, another cop informs onlookers who are criticizing their conduct that the youngster has been caught shoplifting.

In reaction to the chip-theft charge, another little child jumps up and defends the arrested 8-year-old, saying "it wasn't him."

The cameraperson offers to pay for the supposedly stolen Doritos as the cops accuse the youngster of breaching the law. According to Today, the officials keep the youngster in the backseat and the footage ends soon after.

The recording was quickly shared on social media, and news outlets began to cover the story. As you can expect, there was widespread public indignation with many condemning the cops for going too far.

The Syracuse Police Department (SPD) issued a statement on Instagram in reaction to the situation. The mayor of Syracuse, Ben Walsh, also issued a statement, confirming that the officer recognized the boy from earlier contacts and that he was taken home without charges.

Syracuse, New York, Police Face Backlash After Detaining a Boy

Anthony Weah, the boy's father, spoke out about the incident, criticizing the SPD's handling of his 8-year-old kid. "We also admitted that, while his kid taking chips is not acceptable, he has concerns about how the officers handled the situation," Yahoo News reported.

Kenneth Jackson, who videotaped the event, told the publication that he was grateful for it. Jackson believes the matter was handled incorrectly by the police.

"I felt his terror and decided to intervene," he said. "There's a way that the police need to interact with kids, and what they did that day was completely unacceptable."

The child was accused of stealing from a business on the city's northside, but no charges were brought against him, according to police. Officers took him home and talked with the child's father, according to the statement. During a speech in the city, New York Governor Kathy Hochul described the footage as "heartbreaking," as per USA Today.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams remarked days after the subway shooting in Brooklyn that the current surge in crime is a "national issue," citing several news stories in recent months about violent offenders who were released after prosecutors declined to imprison them returning to criminal conduct.

Prosecutors should review cases to determine which culprits need to be removed from society to protect the public and which do not. The answer isn't blanket non-prosecution measures that don't safeguard the public, according to Washington Examiner via MSN.