Family says Aboriginal teenager mistakenly pulled from bus at gunpoint after ‘racial profiling’

The family of a 17-year-old Aboriginal boy says he was racially profiled when police officers with guns drawn pulled him from a Canberra bus before realising he was the wrong person.

The teenager was travelling alone to visit family last week when the bus he was on was pulled over by police cars.

Officers allegedly entered the bus with weapons drawn, immediately approaching the Aboriginal teen.

The boy’s family said officers did not ask for the boy’s name nor request identification before forcing him off the bus and putting him on the ground, handcuffed, face down, with officers’ knees on his back.

They said police then compared a photo on their phone before declaring that they had the wrong person, allowing him back on the bus.

Family demand action

The boy’s family wants to see the body-worn camera footage of the incident. (ABC News: Callum Flinn)

The boy’s family gathered outside the Legislative Assembly this morning, demanding action.

“What happened … was not a mistake. It was not a misunderstanding. It was a gross violation of a child’s human rights,” they said.

“You terrorised an innocent child.

“Your officers pointed a gun at him. Your officers dragged him off a bus. Your officers slammed him onto the ground. Your officers pinned him down with their knees.

“And even after realising they had the wrong boy, they still searched him — a terrified child who kept saying, ‘I didn’t do anything’.

“That is not policing. That is abuse.”‘Trauma will not disappear’

They said the teenager was now scared to leave the house and refused to catch the bus.

“He is a child who needed care, protection, and understanding, not guns, force, and terror,” they said.

“This trauma will not disappear.”

The family said they were heartbroken by the incident but determined for change.

“We are here because we want answers, we want accountability, and we want real, immediate change to ensure no other First Nations child is ever treated like this again,” they said.

“We expect honesty. We expect transparency. We expect action — not promises.”

The family asked to see the body-worn camera footage of the incident and funding for trauma counselling. They requested the officers be stood down while a full investigation into their conduct is undertaken.

They want a formal acknowledgement of the racial profiling of police and an apology to the young person and their family.

The boy’s family say the ACT police officer pulled him from the bus before realising he was the wrong person. (ABC News: Kathleen Dyett)

‘We apologise’: police

In a statement, ACT Policing said officers had been responding to reports of “an active armed offender in possession of a knife at Westfield in Woden”. 

The spokesperson said officers were looking for a perpetrator who had allegedly robbed a shop inside the complex. 

“At the same time, police had received reports there had been multiple attempted carjackings in the area, with a young person allegedly threatening members of the public with a knife,” the spokesperson said.

“One of the occupants of a vehicle received lacerations to their hand.

“Information was received by police that a young person, matching the physical and clothing description of the alleged offender, was on a bus. 

“That bus was stopped, and a young person was detained for a short period until it was confirmed he was not the alleged offender.

“We acknowledge this would have been a very distressing incident for the young person and the other passengers on the bus and we apologise for this.

“Given police were responding to multiple eyewitness reports of an active armed offender in a heavily populated part of Canberra, officers acted with the immediate aim of preventing a worst-case scenario from occurring.”

Police said they have since met with the boy and his family. 

The spokesperson acknowledged a complaint was made about the actions of police and said it would be handled by the Australian Federal Police’s Professional Standards Command, alongside the ACT Ombudsman.

ACT Police Minister Marisa Paterson said she had full confidence in ACT Policing and has offered to meet the boy’s family. 

“I express my sincere apologies to the young person and his family on behalf of the government,” she said.

“I hear the concerns raised by the family, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body and other stakeholders about racial profiling.

“Continuing to work to build trust and relationships with parts of our community that feel vulnerable in their interactions with police is a priority for myself.”

‘Racial profiling is outrageous’

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community advocates issued a joint statement expressing outrage at the incident.

“This act of racial profiling is outrageous, unacceptable, and a devastating breach of safety and trust,” the statement said.

“No Aboriginal child in Canberra should ever face a gun because of police racial profiling.

“This use of excessive force on a child is not acceptable.

“This incident has also caused considerable concern for the family and right across the local Aboriginal community. The family were not even contacted following this critical incident to check on this child’s wellbeing.”

ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body representative Kaylene McLeod said the incident was horrific.

“A gun pointed at the Aboriginal boy on a bus is not a mistake — it is a catastrophic failure of judgement, process, and humanity,” she said.

“There is no world in which this response is justified.”