An elementary school boy who is the victim of the alleged $5 theft spoke out on Wednesday and said that the boy who took the $5 is a bully.
A lawsuit was threatened on Monday by the mother of a 7-year-old boy who was interrogated, arrested and charged for robbery for the alleged $5 theft of a 9-year-old boy.
It was first reported that the money had fallen out of Seth Acevedo’s pocket and ended up on the ground in front of Wilson Reyes and another 9-year-old child. One of them took the $5 and it was unclear which one. A scuffle broke out and Wilson was blamed for the theft, and subsequently handcuffed, interrogated and charged.
Then more information surfaced that indicated that there was more to the story than a misunderstanding. A source told the New York Daily news that the “kid is no angel,” and he had been bullying another child for some time.
On Wednesday, more information came out when the Daily News spoke to Seth who stated that Wilson was the “worst bully.” According to Seth, Wilson had been bullying him for a while and would call him names and punch and kick him.
“I wish they never took the cuffs off of him,” said Seth.
Seth told the Daily News that the incident started when Wilson and another child confronted him on Nov. 30. Wilson slugged Seth in the face and grabbed at money in his pocket. This caused the rest of the money in his pocket to land on the ground. Wilson stomped his foot down on it and dared Seth to fight for the money, which Seth refused to do.
When Seth got home he told his mom that he had been robbed, and she notified the school about what happened.
In December police arrived at PSX-114 and interrogated Wilson and took him into a room where he sat for four hours. He then was taken to the 44th Precinct station house where he was handcuffed and interrogated for six more hours according to a $250 million claim against the city and the NYPD.
When Wilson’s mother arrived at the police station she was told she couldn’t see her son, at first. When she finally was allowed, she found him panic stricken sitting on a chair with his left wrist cuffed to the wall, Frances Mendez, Wilson’s mother told The Post on Monday. That is when she took the infamous photo of him with the handcuffs on on wrist.
“Reyes was handcuffed and verbally, physically and emotionally abused, intimidated, humiliated, embarrassed and defamed,” the document said.
Jack Yankowitz, Wilson’s attorney stated that Wilson “did absolutely nothing wrong and “he did not take any money from any child.”
On Dec. 26, the Law Department for the city dropped the charges against Wilson. They stated that Wilson was treated equal to any other young suspect and he was charged with robbery after he allegedly punched a child and took their money. Authorities said that the attorney for Reyes is “fabrication the amount of time” that Wilson was in custody. They also said that Wilson was given pizza and he was allowed to see his mother, reports the New York Daily news.
School officials could not comment because the case is under investigation.
