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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Storyful) - Footage of a toddler exiting a vehicle with her hands held high after her parents were arrested as suspects in a Tallahassee shoplifting incident on Thursday, January 17, has gone viral.
The footage, captured by a bystander, shows the two-year-old girl leaving a blue pickup truck after her parents were ordered to do so by police, who had their guns drawn behind the vehicle. The people filming can be heard expressing their concern for the toddler’s safety.
In a follow-up video released on the City of Tallahassee Police Department Facebook page, Chief Michael DeLeo addressed the incident and pointed out that the officers were responding to a shoplifting report, changed their tactics when the toddler exited the truck, and followed procedure by keeping their weapons placed on the vehicle, since the report indicated that one of the shoplifters had a gun.
A pellet gun was later found in the pickup truck, according to a report from Tallahassee Democrat, and two people – Chad M. Bom and James W. McMullen – were arrested on shoplifting charges.
The full response by Tallahassee police can be viewed from their Facebook video below: