AFP clears officers of discrimination and excessive force over mistaken arrest of First Nations teen

An internal investigation by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) into the mistaken arrest of a First Nations teenager has cleared it of discrimination or using excessive force.

In November last year, police drew their guns on a 17-year-old Indigenous boy at a Woden bus interchange and handcuffed him before realising they had the wrong person.

A Commonwealth Ombudsman review found the police subjected an Indigenous teenager to an "inappropriate", "seemingly unlawful", and "potentially lethal" search in a case of mistaken identity by officers.

The watchdog was investigating "serious questions" raised in the aftermath of the teenager's arrest in Canberra's south, after he was pulled from a bus at gunpoint by officers.

The 17-year-old had been mistaken for a man armed with a knife who had earlier allegedly attempted to carjack a vehicle near Woden.

Once off the bus, the teenager — to whom the ombudsman gave the pseudonym 'Jay' — was pushed face down onto the ground and arrested before officers realised they had the wrong person.

The AFP released a statement late on Friday afternoon announcing it had completed its investigation, but said it would not reveal disciplinary outcomes for the officers involved in the arrest.

"Consistent with the AFP Integrity Framework, any established findings will be considered for appropriate action. This may include a range of sanctions or other remedial measures.

"No further comment will be made in relation to these investigations."

The AFP released a brief statement but said it would not be making its full review public.

'A series of human errors'

In a report released last month, ACT and Commonwealth Ombudsman Iain Anderson found that once police had realised their mistake, they unlawfully searched the teenager anyway.

"Jay was innocent, mistakenly arrested and subjected to the use of potentially lethal force."

He said at the heart of the case "was a series of human errors".

"[These] all contributed to the decisions that led to an innocent young Aboriginal person being taken from a bus at gunpoint, mistakenly arrested, inappropriately and seemingly unlawfully searched and then sent on his way without appropriate aftercare."

However, he did not find evidence to support the view that race led to increased, heightened, or more extreme uses of force.

In a statement included in the report, Jay's family said what happened to the teen "still sits heavy with all of us".

"What hurt the most was not just the incident itself, but how he was treated, it didn't feel fair, it didn't feel right, and it didn't feel like he was seen or respected as a young Aboriginal boy, but also as a human being with rights and dignity," Jay's family said.

"For our community, trust isn't given lightly. It's built through honesty, respect, and consistent action over time."