NJ cops were accused of racial profiling after seizing teens’ bikes – but a new video tells a different story

Police officers in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, were the targets of criticism after a video showing them appearing to harass a small group of teens who were riding their bikes through town went viral.”You guys are supposed to have licenses and all that kind of stuff,” an officer tells the group. “Guys, we don’t make the rules.”

The video also shows that one Black teen was handcuffed and put in a patrol car after refusing to give the officers his bike.

The 55-second video clip was shared widely across Twitter and other social media platforms, with many people saying it was just another example of police racially profiling Black teenagers.

 

 

However, a longer video uploaded to YouTube shows a different story. In the video, the group of bicycle riders consists of at least 20 or so teens who are racially mixed. As the group rode through town, the video shows them swerving into oncoming traffic and swarming people’s cars. At one point, the person recording the video rides so close to oncoming cars he reaches out and touches them.

Watch the video below: