“Arrest The Parents”: Cops Open Fire On Little Boys During Armed Standoff Carrying A Loaded Weapon

During a standoff, police deployed non-lethal weapons against two children, ages seven and nine, who refused to drop a loaded firearm

The video was captured by a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office drone in New Mexico in February.

Trigger warning: violence, juvenile crime. Footage released on Friday (May 9) shows the two boys handling the loaded weapon in their pajamas, passing it back and forth, and hiding it behind their backs.

After instructing the children to drop the weapon, the sheriff’s office said deputies fired a non-lethal weapon at the boys, allowing them to secure the area and prevent any fatalities.

Two boys aged seven and nine years old were involved in an armed standoff with the police

Image credits: New Mexico News Port

“Put it down, babe,” a female officer can be heard telling the boys.

“You’re not in trouble, but you have to put it down and come and talk to us,” another officer said.

“Put the gun down and come and talk to me. You’re not in trouble, babe,” the female officer continued, trying to soothe the pair. “Can you please put it down so we can talk?”

The incident took place in Bernalillo County, New Mexico

Image credits: PoliceActivity

Image credits: PoliceActivity

A male officer can then be heard telling his fellow deputies to shoot at the wall to scare the children and make them drop the weapon.

“Try not to hit ’em,” he said.

“We want to help you. We don’t want to hurt you,” another officer added, before warning, “Drop it now or you’re gonna get hit!”

Footage shows the children handling a loaded weapon and being told to drop it

Image credits: PoliceActivity

Image credits: PoliceActivity

Deputies then discussed whether to rush the boys, fire a non-lethal round, or wait for an opening, noting that the children were not dropping the weapon.

They proceeded to fire two rubber bullets at the boys, who continued to hold the weapon. Then, an officer rushed in, snatched the weapon from one of the boys’ hands and successfully secured it.

Deputy Deanna Aragon said no charges have been filed against the children or their parents, and the boys have not been removed from the home. Their weapon was seized.

Deputies then fired two rubber bullets at the boys before one of them snatched the firearm from one of the boys’ hands

Image credits: PoliceActivity

The video was shared to highlight the use of the sheriff’s office’s drone technology and Behavioral Health Unit to “monitor the situation in real-time, providing critical updates and enhancing situational awareness.”

The New Mexico sheriff’s office called the case a “complex intersection of juvenile crime, mental health, and public safety.”

“Had that gun gone off, our deputies could have taken deadly force. That would not have gone well with anybody in the nation,” stated Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen during a press conference.

Sheriff Allen shared that the two boys and their family have a documented history of trauma. 

Law enforcement had reportedly been called to the children’s home at least 50 times before the incident.

Image credits: PoliceActivity

According to Sheriff Allen, the boys “were taught how to use the firearm,” and their use of the weapon was the result of “learned behavior.”

He responded to calls for stricter penalties for juvenile crime by emphasizing the young ages of those involved in the incident.

“We know one side is going to say, ‘Lock them in jail,'” Sheriff Allen said, before adding, “They’re seven and nine years old. I told you before, numerous times… I understand the frontal lobe.”

He added that, had the boys been older, “we’d probably be speaking differently.”

According to Sheriff Allen, the children “were taught how to use the firearm”

Image credits: PoliceActivity

The Sheriff concluded: “Arresting people isn’t the only way out of this crisis of juvenile crime.

“You have to look at it from a bunch of different avenues and use the resources you have – and then criminal elements can come later.

“Down the road, we will look at criminal charges – like the Benny Hargrove law – for those involved.”

The Benny Hargrove Law holds adults accountable for failing to safely and responsibly store their firearms, particularly keeping them out of the reach of minors.

To help the children, the Sheriff’s Office turned to their Behavioral Health Unit, which oversees cases involving mental illness and substance use.

Michael Lucero, the unit’s clinical manager, said that 13 experts, including paramedics, clinicians, and law enforcement, were involved in the operation to ensure the safety of both the deputies and the children.

He noted that his team is “still running into barriers” in assisting the boys and their family with the resources they need, such as trauma therapy, parenting support, and grocery cards.

For instance, he detailed how Medicaid coverage was denied to one of the children for being too young, and one of the parents, who has a history of trauma, has struggled to access treatment.

“Parents have failed these kids,” one reader commented

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