A shocking video shows the moment a barefoot toddler left a vehicle with her hands up after her father was arrested in Tallahassee.
On Thursday, police pulled over two shoplifting suspects in the parking lot of a shopping center and ordered the men, identified as 34-year-old Chad Bom and 38-year-old James McMullen, to exit the truck, WTXL reported.
A passerby captured video of the incident, showing officers pointing their guns at a man who got out of the vehicle and placing him in handcuffs. Shortly after, a small girl exits the vehicle and walks toward police officers with her hands raised.
“She’s trying to get out but she can’t because she’s little,” a person is heard saying. “She is out. Oh, she’s holding her hands up. Oh my God, look at that. Oh my God.”
After the video caused a stir online, police released two more videos of the incident to give a fuller picture.
“The officers stopped the vehicle and were following their training as they had the suspected armed adults step out of the truck,” said Tallahassee Police Chief Michael DeLeo in an on-camera statement. “When, unexpectedly, a 2-year-old girl climbed out of the truck and imitated her parents by walking towards the officers with her hands raised.”
DeLeo said the officers were heavily armed because they were told one of the suspects may have had a weapon. A pellet gun was located in the vehicle along with a 1-year-old strapped into his car seat, according to police.
DeLeo said he was “proud of how our officers handled the situation, how they adapted when they became aware of the children and the level of concern and compassion they showed to the family.”
Bom and McMullen have been charged with theft, according to WTXL.