Footage has gone viral of Jessie Lopez Jr., a Pennsylvania teen, being stopped by an officer and then handcuffed for allegedly looking suspicious while wearing a hoodie.
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Footage Goes Viral Of Pennsylvania Teen Jessie Lopez Jr. Being Stopped By Officer Then Handcuffed For Allegedly Looking Suspicious While Wearing Hoodie
On Wednesday, July 8, Jessie Lopez Sr. took to Instagram. This, to share a clip of his son’s “first encounter with the police in Williamsport.” In the clip, his son appears to be crossing the street, wearing a black windbreaker. This, while behind him walks a white man wearing a police vest.
“It’s a warm day to be wearing that jacket — you’re going to get hit by a car here. You’re gonna get hit by a car here. Stop. Stop. I’m asking you to stop! I’m asking you to stop,” the officer says, eventually grabbing the teen. “I’m doing a traffic stop on you. You walked across the road in front of a car.”
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In the caption of the clip, Lopez Sr. wrote, “Today my son had his first encounter with the police in Williamsport. They said he looked suspicious because he had his hood up and a jacket on… this was a lesson for both of us. I need to make sure he knows how to interact with police, even when he feels he’s done nothing wrong. Things can escalate fast. He ended up handcuffed and detained because he didn’t want to stop and answer their questions…”
A follow-up clip shared by Lopez Sr. then showed his son in what appeared to be the back of a police car, handcuffed.
“Just looking at my son’s face sitting in the back of that car hurts my heart, man. As a father, that’s a moment I never wanted him to experience. You spend your life trying to protect your kids, teach them right, and keep them safe. Seeing him go through something like that is a feeling I wouldn’t wish on any parent,” Jessie Lopez Sr. wrote.
Social Media Weighs In
Social media users weighed in on the clip in TSR’s comment section.
Instagram user @briellelesley wrote, “First of all this kid awareness and the way he handled this situation was very impressive. He said no words and recorded the entire experience. No tears, no outbursts, not even explaining himself. Just let the video do the talking for you, I love this kid.”
Authorities Issue Statement On Footage Of Pennsylvania Teen Jessie Lopez Jr. Being Stopped By Officer Then Handcuffed
In a statement to The Shade Room, the father explained that his son was “wearing a hooded jacket because he suffers from eczema, and direct sunlight aggravates his skin condition.”
“Although it was warm outside, there was a legitimate medical reason for him wearing his hood,” he explained.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, July 8, the Williamsport Bureau of Police released a statement. The bureau asserted that the stop was not done by a member of their team. Instead, the bureau alleged it was done by a member of the Lycoming County District Attorney’s Office.
At this time, the DA’s office has not commented on the matter. This, while Lopez Sr. appears to be confused. On Thursday, he took to social media to write, “So I thought they were all together..”
