7-Year-Old Boy Arrested, Cuffed in Baltimore MD

7-Year-Old Boy Arrested, Cuffed; Police Say He Rode Dirt Bike on Sidewalk
Friday , March 16, 2007

Baltimore police arrested a 7-year-old boy, handcuffed him, then hauled him off to the station house where they took his mug shot and fingerprints.

The youngster's offense?

He allegedly rode a dirt bike on a sidewalk.

"They scared me," Gerard Mungo Jr. told The Baltimore Examiner before breaking down in tears.

The incident brought new heat on a department already under fire for making what critics call frivolous or unnecessary arrests.

Police commissioner Leonard Hamm, although noting the city's ongoing concern about the nuisance of dirt bikes, said in a statement Thursday that the arrest of the 7-year-old "was not consistent with my philosphy of trying to solve problems in the neighborhoods."

Mayor Sheila Dixon said she intended to look into the facts behind Gerard's arrest. "As a mother and as a parent, I am bothered by it," she said. "I will get to the bottom of this."

Dinkins, who turned 7 last month, was sitting on the bike with the motor off on a sidewalk near his home in east Baltimore when an officer grabbed him by the collar and pulled him off the bike, according to his mother Kikisa Dinkins, who witnessed the arrest.

"I told them to let go of my baby," Dinkins recalled. "Since when do you pull a 7-year-old child by his neck and drag him?"

Dinkins said she called for a police supervisor to intervene, but the confrontation continued to escalate after the supervisor arrived on the scene.

"They started yelling at him, 'Do you know what you did wrong, son?"' Dinkins said. "He was so scared he ran upstairs."

Police confiscated the dirt bike and placed her son under arrest.

At the station, young Gerard was handcuffed to a bench and interrogated, before he was released to the custody of his parents.

Police spokesman Matt Jablow said an officer saw Gerard riding his dirt bike on the sidewalk.

The zero-tolerance arrest policy of former Mayor Martin O'Malley, now Maryland's governor, has become a contentious issue in Baltimore, with State's Attorney Patricia Jessamy, some judges and civil rights activists complaining such arrests occur most often in poor, black neighborhoods.

Dixon, who planned to address the arrest at a press conference Friday, took office in January promising to put aside "simplistic" approaches to crime.

Dinkins said the incident has scarred her son. "This has changed his life," she said. "He'll never be the same."

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Come on now! 7 years old, a child. Who trains these officers gives them their badges. This is outrageous.

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Yeah.... I am still on my quest for the Marathon. I have been working out for the last month and am actually seeing some results. It was one of my very own christmas presents to myself....Seems a bit like torture to give yourself the gift of a Marathon, or training, but why not. Its an easy way to work at a more healthy lifestyle, better shape and something fun to do.

How have your resolutions served you so far this year?

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Dear Advice Chick,
*I’m a 28 year old lady. A couple weeks ago me and my girls went to a club and I met one fine brotha! He was so nice, and said really sweet things to me all night. He said I was so pretty, and sexy, you know. Stuff like that. Yes, I had a few too many drinks and me and the brotha ended up at my crib doing the do. I apologized to him and told him I don’t usually have sex so soon. Before he left he said he understands and believes me. He also said he would call me later so we can hang out next week. That was over two weeks ago and he hasn’t called yet. I mean I understand if he doesn’t want to see me again, but why would he take my number and then not call? Believe me I just want closure on the whole thing. He probably can’t handle a lady like me anyway.
Advice Chick replies,
Da hell? A “lady” like you? What, a lady that meets a strange man at a club, takes the strange man to her home, and then has sex with the stranger within hours? You call that a lady? I’ve had one night stands in the past, and they’re anything but lady-like.
He whispered sweet nothings, got what he wanted, and bounced. He said he’d call as a “let me get the hell out of here” card. Men know what we want to hear. Closure, huh? The next time you want “closure,” CLOSE YOUR legs!

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What do you think? How quick is too quick to give up the goods?