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A New York City woman has threatened to sue the local police department for $250 million for allegedly handcuffing her 7-year-old son and accusing him of beating up another child over $5.

The New York Post reported on Wednesday that, according to Frances Mendez, she found her son, Wilson Reyes, cuffed to a wall at 14th Precinct headquarters, after being mistakenly accused of stealing the money.

"My son was crying, 'Mommy, it wasn't me! Mommy, it wasn't me!' I never imagined the cops could do that to a child," Mendez told the newspaper.

Mendez's lawyer said in a statement on Monday that the incident occurred last month, when police took the boy out of class and held him in a room at his school for four hours before taking him to the precinct for another six hours, questioning him and charging him with robbery.

Authorities denied any wrongdoing, telling the newspaper that he spent only four hours and 45 minutes at the precinct, a standard amount of time for a juvenile arrest.