The parents of a nine-year-old Florida boy who was handcuffed Feb. 2 by police at a school filed a lawsuit in September claiming “unnecessary and unreasonable” force was used, Click Orlando reported.
Officers converged on Strenstrom Elementary School in Oviedo, Florida after the boy allegedly began hurling items at school staff, according to Click Orlando. Recently released police bodycam footage shows the boy screaming and throwing objects in a mail room while staff attempt to protect themselves with mats, before the officers slapped on the cuffs, FOX35 reported.
The lawsuit states the boy has a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) which defines his issue as “hitting, kicking, pushing, throwing items and property destruction,” FOX35 reported. The BIP states that when staff are confronted with the student’s aggression, they should “not engage in any conversation other than having him complete the task.” (RELATED: Family Of Student Suspended Over Hairstyle Sues State Officials)
4th-grader handcuffed Bodycam video released, family sues city of Oviedo, FL #Shocking #Hardtowatch #Sad #Specialneeds #4th #Grade #School #Florida #School #Lawsuit #Orlando pic.twitter.com/9JjSi59Vjq
— SupremeShib®𝕏 (@jrawh) October 7, 2023
Although officers attempted to defuse the situation, the student allegedly screamed obscenities, kicked and punched staff and tried to break a window, according to Click Orlando.
The recently released video of the incident shows one officer handcuffing the student, citing safety concerns, while the student appears to scream profanities and scratch at another officer.
“If you can relax, we can take the cuffs off. But you’re literally endangering everybody here by hitting everybody,” one officer says. “And they don’t come to work to get beat up. They come to work to teach you.”
“(Expletive) you!” the student responds.
“Ultimately, what every law enforcement officer wishes is that the situation is de-escalated before they even get involved, but in this situation obviously there was a lot going on,” former Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolon said.
The family is suing the city and school resource officers (SRO) for more than $75,000, claiming the officers violated the SRO agreement by handcuffing a child who had yet to reach sixth grade, FOX35 reported.
“Even though it shocks us to see a child in handcuffs, a jury will have to look at the totality of the officer’s actions in this particular case to really say that there was excessive force,” Orlando attorney Albert Yonfa, told FOX35.