An Ohio family is heartbroken and demanding answers after they say police searched a 5-year-old boy during a traffic stop, leaving him scared and confused. The incident happened in Parma on the night of December 26, when Brandon Wilson was pulled over by police just as he drove across the street to his mother’s house.
Brandon says what started as a routine traffic stop quickly turned into something much more unsettling. His brother recorded the encounter on video, showing Brandon standing with his hands in the air while being searched by an officer. Next to him was his 5-year-old son, also named Brandon, who was reportedly searched as well.
In the video, the little boy raises his hands, seemingly copying his dad, who was told to do so by the police. An officer can be heard asking the boy, “Dad didn’t give you nothing, right?”
Police said Brandon Wilson was pulled over because his license plate had expired in September 2024 and his front window tint was too dark. Brandon says he asked the officer why he was being stopped, but things escalated when the officer opened his car door. As Brandon stepped out of the car, his son followed.
Brandon was shocked when officers started searching his son’s pockets. “He’s just a kid. They shouldn’t have touched him at all,” Brandon said. “They searched my car too, and there was nothing there.”
In the video, Brandon can be heard calmly telling his son to lower his hands and stand with his uncle, who was also present. Despite Brandon’s efforts to keep his son calm, he says the experience has left a mark. The boy has been reenacting the scene with his toys, which breaks Brandon’s heart. He says he wants his kids to grow up respecting the police, not fearing them.
Parma Police later released a statement explaining their actions. According to the police, a K-9 unit detected the presence or recent presence of narcotics on the front passenger side of the car, where the child had been sitting. They said this prompted them to search everyone in the car, including the child, to ensure safety.
The police clarified that their K-9 is trained to detect drugs like heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, but not marijuana. Officers said they did not tell the boy to raise his hands and believe he did so only because he was copying his father. They also said they found nothing during the search of the child’s pockets.
The Parma Police Department defended their decision to search the child, saying it was done to prevent potential harm from dangerous substances. “There have been cases where children accidentally came into contact with drugs left within reach, leading to tragic outcomes. We acted with the child’s safety in mind,” the department said.
Brandon Wilson doesn’t agree with their reasoning. He says there was no need to bring a drug-sniffing dog to the scene, especially since he had already told the officers there were no drugs or weapons in the car. He feels the search violated his and his son’s rights and wants an internal investigation.
The Wilson family has hired an attorney, who released a statement calling the search of the boy “unlawful” and an “abuse of power.” The statement said, “The search of a 5-year-old was not about safety—it caused unnecessary trauma to an innocent child.”
Brandon, who works every day, owns his home, and pays taxes, says he deserves to be treated with respect. “They just looked at me and thought, ‘He’s up to no good,’” Brandon said. He hopes speaking out will bring attention to what happened and prevent similar incidents in the future.