Oh don’t they start them young over there.
Normally this is a phrase best used to describe a child being able to do things well beyond their expected levels of capability, like reading a book designed for older kids or getting them to go to the shops to get a few bits.
Unfortunately in the States, this means children know how to put their hands up when police are pointing guns at their parents.
Tallahassee police were arresting a couple suspected of shoplifting when the disturbing footage was captured and posted to Facebook by a concerned bystander.
Because the suspects were reported armed, the police were armed with pistols and rifles.
The video shows cops surrounding the vehicle outside a department store in Florida, MailOnline reports.
After the child’s father was detained by police, the video shows the tense moment the little one clambers from her seat and out of the vehicle while cops keep their weapons trained on the truck.
In the video a voice says:
She’s trying to get out but she can’t because she’s little. She is out. Oh, she’s holding her hands up. Oh my God, look at that. Oh my God.
‘They’re still holding the gun at the baby,’ says one person watching it all unfold. The other says ‘No, they’re holding the gun at the car.’
Police allowed a woman, reportedly the mother, to hold her and another child as they dealt with the situation.
TPD Chief Michael DeLeo said footage from 10 body cameras was reviewed, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
Police have released bodycam footage on the City of Tallahassee Police Department Facebook page showing the efforts made by officers to be compassionate towards the children in the tense situation.
TPD Chief DeLeo said:
The body camera footage shows the officers’ concern for the children and their compassion as they permitted the mother to care for the children.
The mom, who is a suspect, asks an officer to hold her 2-year-old as she retrieves the infant from a car seat.
I am proud of how officers handled the situation, how they adapted when they became aware of the children, the level of concern and compassion they showed to the family.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via stories@unilad.co.uk
Tim Horner is a sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated with a BA Journalism from University College Falmouth before most his colleagues were born. A previous editor of adult mags, he now enjoys bringing the tone down in the viral news sector.