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SDPD release footage from hot stop involving 9-year-old boy

After speculation on social media that an officer pointed his gun directly at an 9-year-old boy during a traffic stop, SDPD released the incident's body-cam footage.

SAN DIEGO — San Diego Police body-worn camera footage shows a high-risk vehicle stop from Tuesday at 12:50 p.m. where an SDPD motorcycle officer says he saw the gray older sedan speeding over 70 miles per hour in a 40-miles per hour zone on Park Blvd. in the Hillcrest area.

When the officer said he tried to get the man to pull over by turning on his emergency lights and siren, he says the driver did not stop, and he called police backup.

Watch the full video released by the San Diego Police Department:

The driver is heard on the camera saying, “My kid is crying, dude can you take the gun away?”

After stopping and getting out of the car at Park Boulevard and Upas Street, the officer's gun stayed drawn even after the boy got out of the car.

The driver told the officer, “Can you take that gun off him bro?”

The incident drew concern and criticism from a picture posted on social media. The caption from a sandiegoville post on Instagram said: San Diego police officer was filmed pointing his service weapon at what is believed to be an 8-year-old boy. 

Police stated they released this body-cam footage due to misinformation, and wanted to clarify saying, "Some have speculated that the officer was pointing his gun at the 9-year-old boy, but the officer's body worn camera shows that at no time that was the case."

Another officer lead the boy down the street to sit on the sidewalk and ask him questions about the starling incident, reassuring the boy that he “was not in trouble."

Police issued the driver a misdemeanor citation for reckless driving, and his vehicle was impounded.

The father and son left the scene together.

Editor’s Note: The father of the boy in this story has told News 8 that his son just turned 9-years-old two weeks ago. This story first reported the boy was 8-years-old, but has now been updated to reflect his current age of 9-years-old.

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