A Connecticut man has been accused of pushing an 11-year-old Black boy on Monday. According to state police, 48-year-old Jameson Chapman assaulted the child while was he riding his bike in Deep River Monday evening. The boy’s mother immediately informed police. Troopers then went to her home and saw video footage of the incident, as stated in a criminal information summary.
The suspect was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree breach of peace, risk of injury to a child and third-degree assault. “After watching just a couple seconds of the video I immediately went into flight or fight and jumped into my car to go look for the guy,” Desiree Dominique, the victim’s mother explained.
Dominique claimed her son and a friend were riding their bikes around when Chapman accidentally bumped into them and lashed out on her son.
“Where did you grow up? Did you grow up in Connecticut?” Chapman can be heard asking the boy in the video.
“No,” he replied.
“No, you didn’t. Exactly, so get the fuck out of town,” Chapman said.
Shortly after, the child was pushed. Dominique shared that her son has cuts and bruises, but the psychological impact has also taken a toll. “He’s terrified to leave the house,” she said. Dominique also said that this entire ordeal has been “very scary as a mom.”
Black people know all too well the dangers we face for just leaving our house. The reality of Black children being treated like adults is a painful reality they face daily. We saw this when police killed Tamir Rice when he was just 12 years old. Trayvon Martin was just 17 years old when he was killed at the hands of George Zimmerman.
Chapman was held on a $10,000 bond and transported to Hartford Correctional Center. He is due to appear in Middletown Superior Court on July 11.