Indigenous teen traumatised after being mistakenly arrested at gunpoint

Australian Community Media

A 17-year-old Indigenous boy was on his way to visit family on November 12, 2025, when ACT police cars stopped the bus he was on. He was removed from the bus by armed police, and handcuffed before police realised he was the wrong person. The boy's aunties, Mikaila McEwan and Kristie Peters, told media he was mistakenly arrested and treated “less than human”.

Transcript

00:00The officers pointed a gun, stopped the transport camera blasts and dragged him out.

00:06She slammed him onto the ground, whilst multiple officers had his knees on their back,

00:12causing him pain and difficulty breathing.

00:15And even after admitting they had the wrong boy, the officers still searched him.

00:22That is not policing. That is abuse.

00:25A clear example of police brutality and racial profiling at its finest.

00:34A child who had never committed a crime was treated like a criminal.

00:39He was treated like a threat and he was treated as less than human.

00:44There is no Australian law, no ACT policy, no international human rights standard

00:51that allows that level of force on a child, especially after officers admitted they had the wrong person.

00:59This incident is not just misconduct, it is evidence of a systemic failure,

01:07the same system that continues to over-police, over-target and over-harm First Nations children.

01:15And now the consequences fall entirely on our nephew.

01:18He is scared to leave the house alone.

01:20He refuses to catch a boss and he leaves in fear of police and that fear was created by your officers.

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