A police chief in Georgia defended an off-duty cop who arrested a 12-year-old rapper for selling CDs inside a mall, saying the preteen performer was previously warned not to hawk his music at the shopping center.
Cobb County Police Chief Mike Register said the officer was working part-time at Cumberland Mall in his police uniform as he “gently” held Corey Jackson — who performs as Lil C-Note and was featured last year on “Ellen” — by the arm after spotting the child selling his music inside the mall for a third time, the Marietta Daily Journal reports.
“All he was doing was holding the young man by the arm,” Register told reporters.
Witnesses told police they saw Jackson push the officer and swing at him while trying to get away, Register said. Corey and his aunt — who was not identified by police — were arrested after an altercation with the officer, a portion of which was caught on video.
“You’re 12? Stop,” the officer told Jackson. “You’re going to go to a youth detention center if you don’t stop.”
“He’s not doing anything,” Corey’s aunt replied in the clip. “He got his rights, he ain’t even doing anything right now.”
Corey’s aunt then told the officer that she had Corey’s father on the phone, but the officer declined to get on the line. Corey then asked the officer to let him go before a scuffle ensued between him and the officer, video shows.
But Register claims the footage only shows a “short snippet” of the entire ordeal, adding that the boy’s aunt “physically attacked” the unidentified officer. Corey had been previously issued a criminal trespass warning after being caught selling CDs inside the mall for a second time a week before the Oct. 6 incident.
“What that meant is if they caught the young man back on the premises of Cumberland Mall selling CDs, then they would request that the police make a criminal trespass case [against] the young man,” Register told reporters. “The officer was simply trying to get information and make a determination if a crime was occurring.”
But Corey continued to be “verbally resistant” to the officer’s commands, Register said.
Corey is now facing charges of felony obstruction, misdemeanor criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. His aunt has been charged with felony obstruction, criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and giving a false name and date of birth to police.
Corey, meanwhile, was not jailed at a youth detention center and was instead released into the custody of his father, according to the newspaper.
Register also downplayed criticism of the officer’s actions, denying claims that he “manhandled” the young performer.
“The officer — all he was doing was holding the young man by the arm,” Register said. “I believe from the preliminary investigation that the officer was in his legal rights to detain the juvenile.”
An internal probe of the incident was launched by the department, but the officer involved has not been placed on leave, Register told reporters.
Corey’s relatives have since retained an attorney, who is demanding that all charges against the child be dropped.
“We believe the officer was careless in the handling of this young boy,” attorney Gerald Griggs told WXIA. “He is only 12 years old. At the time of the arrest, there was no probable cause that my client had committed a crime. In fact, the officer detained Corey while attempting to find probable cause.”
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