Mother of 10-year-old boy arrested for public urination calls for police officers to be fired

The mother of a 10-year-old Mississippi boy who was arrested for public urination has called for several officers from the Senatobia Police Department to be fired.

LaTonya Eason said her son Quantavious was handcuffed and “caged” after an officer spotted him urinating in a parking lot in the small town in northern Mississippi on 10 August.

Quantavious was charged in Youth Court with “child in need of supervision”, his family said.

“My son did not deserve that. Nobody’s kid deserves that,” Ms Eason said during a news conference on Wednesday with her lawyer Carlos Moore.

“I would feel the same way if that was somebody else’s child.”

In a statement last month, Senatobia Police Department chief Richard Chandler said that it was “an error in judgment” to take the child into custody when his mother was present.

He said one of the five officers involved in the incident was no longer working at the department.

That brought little comfort to Quantavious’s family.

Mr Moore said he would be filing a federal lawsuit against the City of Senatobia unless the arresting officer was terminated, an apology issued, monetary damages paid, and the charge against Quantavious was dropped.

“We will give the Senatobia two weeks to come to this family and do the right thing and settle this pre-litigation,” Mr Moore said during the press conference.

“Otherwise, the federal lawsuit will be filed, and we will get this family justice come hell or high water.”

Recalling the 10 August arrest, Ms Eason said that Quantavious had relieved himself on private property behind her car while she was visiting a lawyer’s office in Senatobia.

She said the officer who spotted the boy urinating had initially been satisfied when she spoke to him. But then several other law enforcement officers arrived, and said they had to arrest her son and take him to the station.

Quantavious was locked in a cell for between 45 minutes and an hour, she said.

“Would you have put a white child in a cage? If it had been a white child, you know what he probably wouldn’t have even stopped,” Ms Eason said.

In a separate statement, Chief Chandler said the officer's decisions had violated department policy.

“This incident triggered an internal complaint and was investigated according to our procedures. As a result of this investigation, one of the officers involved is no longer employed, and the others will be disciplined.”

The Independent has contacted Senatobia Police Department for comment.