Teens Involved In New Jersey Mall Fight Speak Out After Video Sparks Outrage

Footage of two teens fighting inside a New Jersey mall has sparked outrage after two officers interfered. As we previously reported, one teen was allowed to sit on a couch, while the Black teen was put in handcuffs with both officers pinning him to the ground.

The black teen’s mother, Ebone, only wants her first name to be known but she spoke out to news outlets saying her eighth-grade son Z’kye did not resist when officers handcuffed him. 

RELATED:Cops Accused Of Racial Profiling After Breaking Up A Fight At Bridgewater Mall

Z’Kye expressed to CBS News that the experience “made me feel like … they were agreeing to him — to me being inferior to him.”

Z’kye says the reason the fight even occurred is that he was trying to stop his friend from being bullied by the 15-year-old boy named Joseph. 

“I did not bully, tease them,” Joseph told CBS News.

Joseph, who also asked that his last name not be released publicly, shared that he was confused why he was also not put in handcuffs.

“I was confused why they were detaining him and not me. I even offered to get detained when I was on the couch. I put my hands up like this and I said, ‘You guys could detain me.’ She said ‘No, because you were calm,'” Joseph stated.

RELATED:Mall Santa Fired For Refusing To Gift Gun To Child For Christmas

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy referred to the video A troubling.

“Although an investigation is still gathering the facts about this incident, I’m deeply disturbed by what appears to be racially disparate treatment in this video,” Murphy said.

Ebone said she wants the officers held accountable and worries about her son.