Overview
- ACT Police say officers stopped the bus after multiple eyewitness reports of an armed offender linked to a Woden shopping center incident and later confirmed the teen was not the suspect.
- The family reports officers boarded with guns drawn, forced the 17-year-old to the ground in handcuffs, compared him to a photo, then searched him even after admitting the mistake.
- Police have met with the teenager and his family and pledged ongoing engagement with First Nations community representatives.
- A formal complaint has been lodged and ACT Police say the matter will be reviewed through the Australian Federal Police’s professional standards command.
- The family demands include access to body-worn camera footage, the standing down of involved officers pending investigation, trauma counseling support, and an acknowledgement of racial profiling, with advocates condemning the incident.