Cobb County Police confront 12-year-old boy

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - The Cobb County Police chief is defending his officer’s action after a video of a 12-year-old boy being arrested goes viral.

The controversial arrest happened Oct. 6 at Cumberland Mall when Cobb County police arrested Corey Jackson after he refused to give his name when officers confronted him about selling CDs in the Food Court area.

Cobb County Police Chief Michael Register said the aspiring rapper had been warned twice in the past not to sell CDs in the mall. Police say they even wrote a criminal trespass warning for the 12-year-old Mississippi resident about a week prior to his arrest.

“Many people said the officer manhandled the boy. He did not. He just grabbed his arm and held it when the boy refused to give his name and tried to run away,” Register exclaimed.

“Instead of the adult, the aunt in this situation, diffusing things, she attacked the officer,” the Chief remarked.

The video of the arrest has gone viral and is laced with profanity by the 12-year old’s aunt, Coraletha Jackson, who intervened and demanded that the officer release her nephew’s arm.

Now Corey Jackson's attorney, Dontaye Carter is demanding all charges to be dropped, calling the arrest "unlawful."

"The detainment, arrest, and felony charges to 12-year-old Corey Jackson are disheartening. We believe the officer was careless in the handling of this young boy," Carter said in a statement. "He is only 12 years old. At the time of the arrest, there was no probable cause that my client had committed a crime. In fact, the officer detained Corey while attempting to find probable cause."

Chief Register says he regrets what happened and is apologetic to the community, the officer, and the suspect’s family.

The department launched an investigation Tuesday following the release of the video Wednesday evening.