What has now become a viral video revealed an unfair situation with authorities that left 12-year-old Tashawn Bernard in handcuffs and placed in the back of a police vehicle. The video began with an officer holding the preteen’s arm as he led him near the car. The child’s father had asked him to take out the trash, and he grabbed the bag and stepped outside. While in the middle of his chore, an officer pulled up and assumed he was the suspect of a crime based on a description and quickly apprehended him.

@careyann327Kid taking out trash being harassed by police. Father defending his son. Wrong person.♬ original sound – Talkingtom24🐺

Although authorities released him minutes later, the look on the child’s face was surprise and confusion, which he explained is how he felt.

“When it happened, I was really, like, shocked and frightened about like the situation, and how it happened,” Bernard told GMA on Monday.

According to a statement the Lansing Police Department released in response to the nationwide backlash, they were investigating a “string of Kia thefts, including a specific one reported on the 3600 block of W. Jolly Road with multiple suspects.” 

One of the witnesses of a robbery said the suspect was wearing “neon shorts and a white shirt” when an officer spotted him, which caused him to run into an apartment complex.

The Bernards’ lawyer, Rico Neal, said there is no way his client should have been assumed to be the criminal at large because he had on a “light gray or a light bluish” shirt.

In the Facebook post, Lansing Police acknowledged the misstep. The department disclosed when things unfolded with Tashawn and expressed their hope to reunite as a community following this “unfortunate” occurrence.

“A different officer was in the area and saw the young man pictured in the viral video wearing a very similar outfit and made contact with him. The initial officer was able to respond and clarify the young man in the video was not the suspect who fled earlier,” the statement continued. “Once this information was obtained, the young man was released and officers continued to search the area. We are including pictures of both individuals. We have blurred both photos to protect the identities of the subjects.”

“Community relations is a top priority for us as a department, from top-down. Our hope is we can put this unfortunate case of “wrong place, wrong time” behind us and continue to represent the community that we serve.”

Lansing Police Department Chief Ellery Sosebee published a statement to share his remorse openly that Tashawn was placed in that predicament by his staff.

“It’s unfortunate that incidents like this occur but through communication and sharing of information, we can help people understand the whole story. We understand that something like this has an impact on all parties involved,” Sosebee’s statement read.

He continued, “As the Chief of Police, I want to apologize that this incident had such an effect on this young man and his family. I’m asking for the community to consider all the facts of the situation before making a judgment. The relationship with our community has been and will continue to be a top priority for the Lansing Police Department.”

Watch the full GMA interview below: