10-year-old boy speaks out after Chicago police handcuffed him

A 10-year-old Chicago boy is speaking out after being handcuffed by police in a case of mistaken identity.

The boy and his family, more than anything, just want an apology from police. They also want better training for officers.

Michael Thomas Junior's family believes the officers should have been able to tell the fourth grader wasn't the teenage, juvenile escapee with a gun they were reportedly looking for.

Michael said he was simply riding his bike with his cousins June 1st when the police showed up.

“That's when a few minutes later, police swerved over, almost knocked me off my bike,” he said.

A bystander recorded the entire 15-minute incident. In the video, Michael’s grandmother raises his shirt to show he didn't have any weapons on him.

Superintendent Eddie Johnson defended his officer's handling of the situation saying it's difficult for police to identify ages right off the bat and that Michael fit the description of the person they were looking for.

Michael's mother says she taught him not to run from police. He did briefly try to get to his grandmother, but she worries this could have ended differently.

“Happy he's still here. And I'm not burying him. Because what if he would've took off running and they thought he really did have a gun? Who knows. It could've been a whole other way,” said mother Starr Ramsey.

A spokesperson for the superintendent sent FOX 32 the following statement: “Superintendent Johnson called the mother of the child last Thursday June 7th 2018, and apologized personally for the difficult situation her child faced. This was a very challenging situation for the officers involved, as they had to balance public safety with a frightened child.”

The family does have an attorney who says he is considering legal action, but their first priority is getting Michael over the trauma of his experience.