Black teen, 13, 'strangled' and left bleeding after cops restrain him during knife stop-and-search
After police officers grabbed him during a knife stop-and-search, a black youngster was'strangled,' according to his mother, who claims the officers used excessive force against her son.
Benjamin Olajive, 13, was getting off the school bus on London's Streatham High Road at 4.15 p.m. last Tuesday when he was accosted by Metropolitan Police officers.
Officers were responding to a report of a man with a knife who was described as wearing a blazer and standing around Benjamin's height, and he was recognized as the suspect on CCTV.
Benjamin's mother, Zeyna Kada, and onlookers shared shocking video footage of Benjamin being handcuffed by a lot of police officers on the internet.
Benjamin, who has ADHD, cries for aid in the video as large crowds of onlookers yell at the officers and demand that the 13-year-old be released. Witnesses say the encounter lasted around 45 minutes, during which time Benjamin yelled "my wrists" as officers shackled and allegedly "choked" him.
Benjamin was taken to Brixton police station on suspicion of causing criminal damage after reportedly kicking a police car with what appeared to be a knife.
Ms Kada, who claims her son has never had any previous incidents with the police, has accused the Metropolitan Police of "racial profiling" and "extreme force" against her son, adding that officers should "respect" people's children.
Benjamin 'physically resisted and attempted to flee' from officers, according to the Metropolitan Police, and 'made dents' in a police car after kicking it several times.
Ms Kada, on the other hand, claimed that her son only kicked the vehicle after being provoked by officers who had repeatedly used 'hyperflexing wrist locks' to Benjamin, and that video footage showed her son 'complying' with officers at first.
Ms Kada, who was not present at the time, claimed that an officer grabbed her son by the neck after he became upset after the officers allegedly 'damaged' his wrists, alleging that he was left with 'bruises' during the 45-minute ordeal.
'I'm not saying you shouldn't stop and search people,' she told MailOnline.
'I'm a mother of a young black boy, and I see all these shootings on the news and think to myself, 'God help these children, and help them to love one another.'
'I'm not saying you shouldn't stop and search, but you should do so with reasonable force and respect, and keep your hands off someone else's child.'
Ms Kada claimed she informed her son after seeing the tape, which was shared to her by worried members of the public, that she was 'proud' of him for cooperating with authorities, because it could have 'escalated' further if he hadn't.
Ms Kada stated that she intends to educate Benjamin about his rights following the event, claiming that authorities should have asked him if he felt threatened or under pressure because he is just 13 years old.
'I don't understand the reaction an officer was looking for from a 13-year-old,' she continued. This is not something that is taught in schools. Children have seen it on TV and in movies, but they have no idea [...]
'The law should be taught to these young youngsters.' The majority of boys and girls are now taller than their peers, but not every child with an afro is a criminal or carries a weapon.'
'In the recordings, my son complied,' she claimed, adding that the crowds only gathered following the authorities' abuse of Benjamin. Three times he was patted from top to bottom. At the time, there were only two people at the bus stop.
'What garnered attention was not the fact that they found nothing, but how they treated my son at the time.' Why were the cops still dragging him around when they had found nothing?'
Benjamin apparently had marks on his arms from being shackled, his uniform sleeve was "soaked in blood," and he had a sore eye.
Despite Benjamin and members of the public alerting them repeatedly, Ms Kada said that the police officers did not take her son's special requirements into account.
The concerned mother claimed that when her son was first approached, there were just two people present, but that when he was restrained by officers, a crowd gathered.
'People started shouting and getting irate with the cop at that point,' she claimed. Then two officers pinned my son's hands behind his back, restricting him and causing him discomfort.
On the videos, he can be heard screaming. My son was screaming 'my wrist,' according to a passerby.
Following the incident, a member of the public using Benjamin's phone called Ms Kada to inform her that her son had been arrested and encouraged her to attend to Brixton Police Station.
Ms Kada claimed her son was 'scared and worried' when she picked him up from Brixton police station, saying he had 'marks' all over his arms and 'blood' on his sleeve.
She claimed she inquired as to why her son was hurt, only to be told that he was 'kicking off' and had dented a police car. She said she asked to see the vehicle but was told 'we are not taking any further, forget about it'.
Ms Kada claimed her son told her that the police officer 'choked' him, and said she found bruises on his neck. She said he had a pre-existing scab on his wrist that had been ripped open again amid the ordeal.
She said she took Benjamin to the GP for his injuries after the incident and her son has since been referred for counselling due to the 'traumatic experience'.
Ms Kada said she went to the police station to get a crime reference number and a stop-and-search form, but claimed she was only given the forms when she began recording them days later.
'Officers are not trained to deal with young children. He has special needs and he was injured, hence my child kicked off, I was told by members of public, that there was no damage done to the car,' she said.
Ms Kada said she is 'upset' that the Metropolitan Police are claiming that her son tried to 'run' away from them, saying it was a clear example of racial profiling.
She said: 'I am upset that the police said my son tried to run and said they tried to restrain him, but that is not true!
'We have the initial footage, how can they say that? Why was he stopped, searched and cuffed for 45 minutes?'
The 'frustrated' mother claimed that the police officers did not put her son's ADHD into consideration when they handcuffed him, saying they had already realised nothing was on him when he 'kicked' the car.
Ms Kada said her family has never had any involvement with the police before and said she is disappointed that his first experience has been negative.
She added: 'He has never been involved with the police before and his first experience was negative. We have only seen it on TV and in films [...]
'He has never said anything nasty about the police before. He has never experienced any of this, and this has had a big negative impact on my child.'
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'Shortly after 16:00hrs on Tuesday, 14 September, police were called by a concerned member of the public who reported seeing a schoolboy in possession of a kitchen knife on Streatham High Road.
'The boy was identified by CCTV cameras and officers responded. When approached, the boy physically resisted and tried to get away from the officers. He was restrained and handcuffed in order to allow a search to be carried out.
'A knife was not found. The item that had initially been seen by a member of the public was identified as an afro comb.
'As he was being restrained, he kicked a police car a number of times, causing dents. He was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage.
'As officers began to conduct the search, a large crowd surrounded them. A further call was received from a member of the public at the scene who feared for the safety of the officers.
'Additional officers were deployed in an effort to disperse the crowd and the boy was taken to a nearby police station where his mother was called.
'It was decided that no further action would be taken in relation to the damage to the police vehicle and the boy was released into his mother's care.
'A complaint has subsequently been received in relation to the incident. It is being assessed by the South Area Professional Standards Unit.'