Footage appears to show a 12-year-old boy in pyjamas being restrained and handcuffed by three police officers while they seize his electric scooter.
South Wales Police has faced criticism over its use of force against Zain Evans, who officers found exploring a disused chapel in Pontardawe, in Swansea Valley, on Wednesday.
Zain was later treated in hospital for muscular injuries and cuts that his mother, Emily Evans, said were caused by broken glass on the ground.
Mobile phone video shows Zain, dressed in Hello Kitty pyjama trousers, a hoodie and a cycling helmet, helping a female officer carry his scooter along an overgrown alley beside the former chapel.
A second boy filming the scene can be heard asking: ‘Are you taking his scooter? He’s only been walking it. He hasn’t driven it once.’
The officer responds: ‘Oh, please. I wasn’t born yesterday. Stop lying.’
Zain then stands in front of the scooter and says: ‘What are you doing with it? You’re not taking it. I’m not letting you – I’ve got school.’
A male officer moves towards him and orders him to ‘move out of the way’ before taking hold of him from behind and telling the boy he is under arrest.
Zain Evans, 12, was forced to the ground and handcuffed by police officers as they confiscated his electric scooter
Footage showed the boy screaming out in pain as officers put him in handcuffs
Officers had found Zain and his friends poking around an abandoned chapel in Pontardawe, Swansea Valley
The two officers push Zain against metal railings before wrestling him to the ground. As he cries out in pain, he can be heard pleading: ‘No, please!’
Ms Evans told Our News Outlet that officers pulled her son’s arms behind his back with such force that he heard a ‘pop’.
Police reportedly took Zain’s scooter, his mobile phone and his friend’s phone. The following day, officers also visited the friend’s farm and seized his electric scooter, according to the family.
Zain and his mother went to hospital in Port Talbot on Thursday, where doctors placed his arm in a sling.
Ms Evans said Zain had been taking the scooter to a friend’s home for inspection after its electrical system stopped working. He then entered the abandoned church with two friends to explore the site.
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She maintained that Zain could not have been riding the scooter because it was not working.
Officers discovered the children inside and escorted them back onto the street before deciding to detain Zain, although he was not formally arrested.
Ms Evans told the Mail that she happened to drive past while her son was being detained.
Zain was taken to hospital the next day and his arm was put in a sling, reportedly for muscle damage
He also suffered cuts to the back of his legs, which his mother said were from broken glass on the ground
Emily Evans said she was ‘heartbroken’ to come across her son screaming in pain with two officers over him
She said: ‘It broke me completely. Zain is a kind-hearted child who always looks out for others. If someone is being bullied, he takes them under his wing.
‘There was broken glass on the ground and they forced him onto it, cutting the back of his leg. They also pulled his arms behind him so violently that Zain heard a pop.
‘He hasn’t been himself since Wednesday. He has been extremely nervous and has needed to sleep beside me.
‘My children have been raised with boundaries. If they do something wrong, they are disciplined. But what the police did here was completely out of order.’
Ms Evans said South Wales Police gave her a telephone number to contact about recovering the two electric scooters. However, when she called, staff at the compound reportedly said they had no record of the seized vehicles.
She also claimed the force initially appeared unaware that three officers had been involved, believing that only two had attended the incident.
A South Wales Police spokesman said: ‘At around 2:15pm on Wednesday, October 28, officers attended a report of suspected criminal damage at a disused church on Swansea Road, Pontardawe.
‘During the incident, officers searched individuals believed to have committed offences and seized an e-scooter which was suspected of having been used unlawfully.
‘We are aware that footage of the incident has been shared on social media and understand the concerns raised by members of the community about the use of force.
‘The young person’s mother has been contacted by officers, and the incident has been referred to our Professional Standards Department for review.’
