An 11-year-old boy was taken to a mental hospital, restrained, and given psychiatric medication after police mistook him for a missing 20-year-old woman in New Zealand.
According to the investigation, police saw the child on a bridge in Hamilton and thought she was the missing girl. She was taken to the hospital and immediately placed in the psychiatric ward, even though a nurse said that she looked young and not old.
Due to his speech impairment, he was unable to explain himself. When he refused to take the medicine offered to him, he was forcibly restrained and injected with anti-psychotic medication, a drug that is rarely given to children.
He stayed in the hospital for more than 12 hours before the police noticed their misidentification. They immediately called the boy's family to pick him up.
Health officials have apologized, while Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is investigating the incident. He said the incident was "disappointing and concerning" and should not happen again.
