Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe says allegations that ACT Police pointed a gun at an Aboriginal child during a case of mistaken identity amount to "racist police profiling" and a direct breach of the young person's human rights.

On Thursday morning, the family of the 17-year-old boy gathered outside the ACT Legislative Assembly, demanding action after he was removed from a bus by officers with weapons drawn and searched, despite having committed no offence.

Police say they were searching for a person who had allegedly robbed a shop in Woden and was reportedly armed with a knife, with further reports of carjackings in the area.

According to the family, the boy had been travelling on a public bus to visit relatives when police stopped the vehicle. Officers boarded with weapons drawn and, without asking his name or giving an explanation, removed him from the bus.

The family insist the incident "was not a misunderstanding" but a "gross violation of a child's human rights". They say their nephew "did not match the description" and was unarmed, simply "minding his own business".

"Your officers pointed a gun at him," they said. "Your officers dragged him off a bus. Your officers slammed him onto the ground. Your officers pinned him down with their knees. And even after realising they had the wrong boy, they still searched him; a terrified child who kept saying, 'I didn't do anything'."

Targeted because of race

Responding to the incident, Senator Thorpe called the events "horrific," saying the boy had a gun pointed at him "simply because of the colour of his skin".

"Racial profiling is how our people become over-represented in police interactions, in charges, in courts, in prisons, and in deaths in custody. It starts with moments like this, where we are treated as a threat instead of human beings," she said.

"Our families carry fear every day about being targeted. Mothers tell me constantly that they worry their boys won't come home, not because they've done something wrong, but because their skin is not white."

The family say the boy — who had done nothing wrong — was "treated like a criminal, treated like a threat, treated like he was less than human".

Already coping with the loss of his father and the absence of his mother, they say he has been deeply affected. According to the family, he is now unable to leave the house, refuses to take a bus, and startles easily.

"He lives in fear of police... and that fear was created by your officers," they said.

"He depends on the small circle of family he has left: his grandmother, aunties, uncles, siblings, and cousins who hold him up every day. He is a child who needed care, protection, and understanding, not guns, force, and terror.

"This trauma will not disappear. It has changed him. It has changed us."

Police apologise

In a statement, ACT Police said they had been responding to reports of an active armed offender with a knife and several attempted carjackings in Woden.

"During the response, information was received by police that a young person matching the physical and clothing description of the alleged offender was on a bus. That bus was stopped, and a young person was detained for a short period until it was confirmed he was not the alleged offender," a spokesperson said.

"We acknowledge this would have been a very distressing incident for the young person and the other passengers on the bus and we apologise for this.

"Given police were responding to multiple eyewitness reports of an active armed offender in a heavily populated part of Canberra, officers acted with the immediate aim of preventing a worst-case scenario from occurring - further harm to members of the public."

Police say they have since met with the boy and his family, as well as members of the ACT Indigenous community.

"We acknowledge these have been difficult discussions and ACT Policing remains committed to continued engagement and two-way dialogue with the family and wider First Nations community," the spokesperson said.

"A complaint from the community has been received in relation to ACT Policing's actions, and that will be managed and reviewed through AFP's Professional Standards Command, including in consultation with the ACT Ombudsman."

Family demands full accountability

The family is calling for a full investigation and full accountability, including release of body-worn camera footage, an apology, funding for trauma counselling, and the officers involved to be stood down while the investigation takes place.

"Our family refuses to let this become another 'internal review,' another 'training opportunity,' or another line in a report that gets buried and forgotten. We are not going away," they said.

"What happened to our nephew was not an accident; it was a violent breach of duty, a failure of basic humanity, and a direct violation of his human rights."

Senator Thorpe echoed the family's demands, saying in a statement that "our community stands with you," and stressing the boy is "loved" and did "nothing wrong".

"We will not let this be swept aside," she said.

"Hearing about this made me feel sick. I think about my nephews. I think about all the Black boys and young people in my life. Our people cannot feel safe when police see our children as threats before they see them as kids."

She added: "This is not an isolated incident; it is a pattern. If the ACT Government is serious about eliminating institutional racism, it has to start right here, right now."