A barefoot toddler with her arms in the air has been caught on video walking towards armed cops.
Witnesses, who captured the incident on their mobile phone, say the toddler, 2, climbed out of a pickup truck and walked towards officers who were armed with rifles, in Tallahassee, Florida.
Cops at the time were arresting suspected shoplifters.
The person filming can be heard to say: She’s trying to get out but she can’t because she’s little.
“She is out. Oh, she’s holding her hands up. Oh my God, look at that. Oh my God.”
Further in the video one viewer says: “They’re still holding the gun at the baby.”
But someone else doubts this, adding: “No, they’re holding the gun at the car.”
Viewers were astounded when they saw the footage.
One unnamed couple, quoted by WMBF News, said: “Naw, they’re not doing that little girl like that.
“She put her hands on the back of her head. Where are her parents?”
Police said they had received a call that the suspected shoplifters had a gun.
Cops told the Tallahassee Democrat the toddler’s parents were among the suspects.
Tallahassee Police Department Spokesperson Damon Miller said officers had to approach the situation with caution.
“It’s just for safety because we don’t know who else is inside the vehicle,” Miller said. “If you look at the video, there are multiple people that actually did come outside of the vehicle. It’s very important that our awareness is very heightened on a situation like that.”
The police confirmed two men Chad Bom and James McMullen were arrested on petty theft charges.
Neither man had a gun but a pellet gun was found in the backseat of the truck, according to the paper.
In the wake of the initial footage the Tallahassee Police Department released two body camera videos in response that provide a fuller picture of the incident.
It shows the officers talking with adults and working to get the toddler and an infant who were in the cab safely away from the vehicle.
The Sun UK