Autistic teen arrested after saying police officer looked like a “lesbian”

Seven West Yorkshire Police officers arrested a 16-year-old autistic teen after she allegedly told a female officer, “You look like my lesbian nanna.”

The West Yorkshire Police are being accused of heavy-handedness after an incident on August 11 saw an autistic girl dragged out of her house and arrested with a “homophobic public order offense.”

The teen’s mother, Nikita Snow, filmed and posted the incident on TikTok to her account, ‘nikitasnow84.’

The footage has sparked outrage online, with many calling for action to be taken against those responsible for the arrest.

“This is what police do when dealing with autistic children,” Nikita wrote on TikTok. “My daughter told me the police officer looked like her nanna, who is a lesbian. The officer obviously took it the wrong way and said it was a homophobic comment [it wasn’t].”

The footage shows Nikita’s daughter hiding in the corner of a cupboard and having a panic attack while officers crowd around her. At one point in the TikTok, Nikita explained that her daughter was “punching herself in the head as she’s distressed.” After being repeatedly told that the young girl was autistic, the offended officer replied, “I don’t care.”

Nikita wrote, “The officer then entered my home… My daughter was having panic attacks from being touched by them and they still continued to manhandle her.”

The video has since been removed from TikTok as “someone reported the post for bullying.” Nikita updated concerned viewers, letting them know that her daughter had been released without charges and that the officer involved was being investigated.

Nikita also clapped back at a viewer who pointed out that her daughter had “[a lot] of [piercings] for someone who [doesn’t] like to be touched,” revealing her daughter pierced herself to avoid physical contact with others.

The West Yorkshire Police released a statement in regard to the incident in which they said, “A 16-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of a homophobic public order [offense], West Yorkshire Police has now reviewed the evidence and made the decision to take no further action… West Yorkshire Police’s Professional Standards Directorate is continuing to carry out a review of the circumstances after receiving a complaint in relation to the incident.”

Assistant Chief Constable Oz Khan said, “We recognize the significant level of public concern that this incident has generated… We would like to reassure people that we will take on board any lessons to be learned from this incident.

“We do appreciate the understandable sensitivities around incidents involving young people and neurodiversity and we are genuinely committed to developing how we respond to these often very challenging situations.”

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