14-Year-Old Canton Teen Mistakenly Arrested for Car Theft. But the Alleged Suspect Had a Different Physical Appearance: ‘I’m a Kid!’

A 14-year-old teen was mistakenly arrested by police officers who were searching for a suspect involved in a string of vehicle thefts in Canton, Ohio, based on claims that the teen had matched the suspect’s physical description. However, a photo of the alleged suspect was released by the Stark County Jail and showed a different physical appearance from the 14-year-old.

The incident reportedly occurred on Aug. 18 at around 8pm, and was caught on a Ring camera on the teen’s front porch. In the footage circulating online, the teen can be seen kneeling as police officers slowly approach him with what appeared to be a police taser pointed at him.

The police officer can be heard yelling, “Put your hands up. Put your f****** hands up.” The teen, seemingly confused, tried to tell officers he hadn’t done anything. “I didn’t do nothing. I’m a kid,” the teen said, before the police officer handcuffing him responded by saying he doesn’t “give a s***.”

Police Said the Teen Matched the Suspect’s Description

Another police officer can be heard on the Ring camera confirming that the teen “matched the description” of their suspect. The teen continued to deny committing any wrongdoing and told the police officers to contact his mother.

According to local reporting, police officers were said to be searching for several individuals tied to a number of thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles in the area. The primary suspect identified is 18-year-old Kenneth Moore Jr., who reportedly has a history of assault and was believed to be carrying a weapon during the incident.

The police officers were reportedly with a K-9 team and had pursued the suspects from WC Henderson Avenue toward Highland Road, where the 14-year-old teen’s home was located. However, after handcuffing the young teen, police officers allegedly determined that he wasn’t involved before removing the handcuffs to continue the search. Moore Jr. was reportedly found hiding behind a house on Highland Road.

While mistaken theft accusations aren’t a rare occurrence, the mugshot released following Moore Jr.’s arrest was what made people scratch their heads over the mix-up. In his mugshot, Moore Jr. can be seen with a visibly lighter skin tone compared to the 14-year-old, a major factor that was seemingly overlooked by the arresting police officers.

Canton Officials Called the Arrest Unacceptable

Following the virality of the Ring camera footage, William V. Sherer, the Mayor of Canton, said in a statement, per The Repository: “Professionalism is an expectation of every City employee regardless of department. No one is above treating our residents with basic dignity and respect.”

Director of Public Safety Andrea M. Perry also issued an apology to the young teen and condemned the actions of the police officers. “My expectation is that our officers conduct themselves in a professional and courteous manner, especially in their interactions with the public. I find this interaction to be unacceptable and not reflective of the standard set forth by the Canton Police Department,” Perry said. “This young man and his family have my deepest apologies as we continue to investigate this situation.”

The Canton Police Department has also released a statement and defended their officers’ actions. “I expect my officers to communicate professionally and respectfully and our actions should always be guided by our values and our training. It is never our intention to subject innocent bystanders to custody or involve the general public unnecessarily in police operations,” the department reportedly said.

According to their statement, the police officers’ actions and the incident are both being reviewed. However, they urged the public to refrain from dismissing the police officers’ safety concerns simply because they came into contact with a minor.

“This short video clip is currently being shared and commented on without consideration of all the facts the officers had at the time,” they said. “But I will recognize the unfortunate truth that juveniles are increasingly involved in gun violence and our officers frequently encounter kids who are armed.”

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