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Misbehaving Boy, 8, Pepper Sprayed By Police

theangryamerican

theangryamerican

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Denver's KUSA-TV reported Tuesday that the boy had allegedly been spitting and cursing at teachers February 22 at Glennon Heights Elementary in Lakewood.

He was also trying to allegedly stab them with wood trim he had broken off the walls.

Police said they pepper sprayed the boy twice after he refused to drop the wood and then handcuffed him.

His mother said police had been called about her son twice before and should have handled the situation differently.
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Misbehaving Boy, 8, Pepper Sprayed By Police

Totally support the actions of the LEO's on scene. This kid was doing far more than misbehaving, and I think it's terrible that anyone would see this as an excessive use of force.
 
Were the cops not physically deft enough to control an 8 year old without chemical spraying his face? This is a story he's going to tell in court when he's 18 about the abuses the system imposed on him.

We're they worried about harming him by disarming him?
 
Yes, I'm sure the officers on the scene could not subdue the cunning 8 year old wielding a piece of wood trim without using pepper spray. They may have gotten a splinter!
 
He was swinging with something that apparently was deemed able to do significant harm.

An attempted disarming of the kid could potentially result in harm to the officer, or more likely potentially significant harm to the child if there was stuggling.

Pepper Spray significantly reduces that chance on both sides.

I'm guessing if they attempted to disarm and subdue the kid and the child broke his arm, we'd have people going on about how brutal and over the top the cops were.

Its something that their office should give the regular review of to see if they acted correctly, but without getting more information showing that their judgement was poor I'd fall on the side of the Cops attempting to keep a kid from stabbing his teacher rather than going "aww the poor kid".

Wait I forgot. Cops are evil, they have everyone, they just want to **** over people, **** the cops!

Angry, you're obviously remembering the face of your father in your response ;)
 
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Good thing that wasn't my kid. I wouldn't be posting at DP much for a few years, because I would be in jail for ****ing up some ***** ass cops.
 
It's a hysteric 8 year old, unless the teacher is frail and 80 lbs and 90 years old I wouldnt even worry for the teacher.

If the cops were 250 lbs and 6.5 feet tall I'd issue more sympathy for an alleged concern for breaking an arm or finger while prying the piece of wood out of his hand.
 
His mother said police had been called about her son twice before...
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repeat offender.

unless we know how large/sharp the wood being swung was, we don't really know if it was a real danger to the officers or anyone else.

I have a 10 yr old, but I'll give the officers the benefit of the doubt on thisd one.
 
liblady said:
if a police officer can't control an 8 yr old without pepper spray, i think maybe they need to go back for more training. this is ridiculous.
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OC spray is a far less dangerous option than tackling the kid or getting into a physical struggle with him. Why put the officers or the even the kid in more danger by escalating a situation that could be easily defused with an expedient and temporary solution. So his eyes burned and watered for a bit...boohoo. Maybe he should've thought about the consequences of riding that proverbial train before he bought the ticket. ;)
 
Pepper Sprays effects last minutes to hours. Pepper spray won't drop a person to the ground like a taser, but when it's hard to breathe and a person can't see, they are more worried about self preservation than continuing an attack.

Predators come in all ages and prey on all ages.
 
Didnt we already do this story or was that the kid that got tased? Say what you want...but it is a lot less physically damaging to pepper spray an out of control 8 year old than it is to physically subdue him. The pepper spray will have no long term effects and the kids desire to put up a fight will get zapped quick fast and in a hurry. Step in and physically subdue him and you will likely leave bruises, cause joint damage or worse. We have similar situations occur in the ER. A needle full of Ativan has a miraculous calming effect. Sure...a wicked hardcore swat to the ass or a bucket of ice water would do the trick as well...but then that would be labelled abuse too. MOST kids dont become that way over night. They get that way through a pattern of ignored or excused behavior. Its ALWAYS a bitch when someone else has to step in.
 
More info:

Colorado police pepper-spray misbehaving boy, 8 - Yahoo! News

The staff at the Colorado elementary school said no one could calm 8-year-old Aidan Elliott.

He had just thrown a TV and chairs and was now trying to use a cart to bust through a door to an office where teachers had taken some young students for safety.

They called the police.

The officers found him with a foot-long piece of wood trim with a knife-like point in one hand and a cardboard box in the other.

"Come get me, f-----," he said.

When they couldn't calm him down, one squirted Aidan with pepper spray. He blocked it with the cardboard box.

A second squirt hit the youngster in the side of the head, and down he went, according to an account of the Feb. 22 standoff in a police report first obtained by KUSA-TV
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"He was being very aggressive, very violent," said Melissa Reeves, the school district spokeswoman.

There were eight students with Aidan in the classroom, Reeves said, and teachers removed them after he became violent. They barricaded themselves in an office, as he tried to bust in, Davis said.

Aidan was swearing and shouting expletives at his teachers and threatening them, Davis said. He taunted police when they arrived.

"I wanted to make something sharp, like if they came out, `cause I was so mad at them," the boy said on NBC's "Today" show. "I was going to try to whack them with it."
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Aww... those mean police officers.
After hitting him with the second squirt, officers took Aidan outside for some fresh air to help dissipate the spray. Paramedics were treating his red, irritated face with cool water when his mother arrived.
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Now Mom is going around on talk shows with her story of police brutality. I wish she'd just learn to parent her brat isntead of begging the public for attention.

Again, hats off to the officers for keeping cool heads and responding appropriately.

Here's the little terror. He doesn't look like a small kid.
tdy_vieira_pepper_1_110406.ss_h.jpg
 
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One can definitely see what the early stages of that style of parenting looks like.

Obviously some people aren't fit to be parents.
 
Kids have been throwing temper tantrums since the beginning of time. Would a mom pepper spray him? Of course not. But somehow I think this was more than a temper tantrum. If a little boy can't be subdued by a couple of LEOs in full regalia yelling at him, he's past the point of reason.

Pepper spray was the quickest way to take control of the situation. Before he hurt himself or others. Give the coppers a break. This kid has issues.
 
theangryamerican said:
More info:

Colorado police pepper-spray misbehaving boy, 8 - Yahoo! News

Aww... those mean police officers.
Now Mom is going around on talk shows with her story of police brutality. I wish she'd just learn to parent her brat isntead of begging the public for attention.
Again, hats off to the officers for keeping cool heads and responding appropriately.
Here's the little terror. He doesn't look like a small kid.
tdy_vieira_pepper_1_110406.ss_h.jpg
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Our most recent was this last weekend...an 8 year old kid, brought to the ER because he has learned how to pull mommies strings. He told her he hated her and was going to kill himself...he knows thats usually good for 5-8 days at an adolescent psych unit. Away from mom when talking to the nursing staff he is as pleasant as can be. He was able to sit down and have a 25 minute crisis interview after being told only once that this was not his house and his bull**** wouldnt be tolerated and he could either be respectful or be restrained and if he was aggressive towards the staff he wouldnt go to a psych unit he would go to detention and be charged with assault. Still a kid? Sure...but he clearly demonstrated an ability to choose, an ability to focus and stay focused, an ability to be alert, cooperative, and appropriately responsive. Actually a smart and personable kid. Then mom came back in the room to watch Jr. 3 minutes later she is screaming and he is biting her arm so bad he is drawing blood. Nurse grabs the kid by the arm and tech applies a nerve press to the jaw. Kid is immediately subdued. Moms first remarks..."you hurt his wrist!"

All those that are critical of the cops...I defy you to put yourself not hypothetically in their shoes but physically, and see you do better.
 
theangryamerican said:
More info:

Colorado police pepper-spray misbehaving boy, 8 - Yahoo! News





Aww... those mean police officers.


Now Mom is going around on talk shows with her story of police brutality. I wish she'd just learn to parent her brat isntead of begging the public for attention.

Again, hats off to the officers for keeping cool heads and responding appropriately.

Here's the little terror. He doesn't look like a small kid.
tdy_vieira_pepper_1_110406.ss_h.jpg
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What a great kid.

How long until he kills somebody?

Do they make prison uniforms his size, or do we have to go the juvy route first?
 
MaggieD said:
Kids have been throwing temper tantrums since the beginning of time. Would a mom pepper spray him? Of course not. But somehow I think this was more than a temper tantrum. If a little boy can't be subdued by a couple of LEOs in full regalia yelling at him, he's past the point of reason.

Pepper spray was the quickest way to take control of the situation. Before he hurt himself or others. Give the coppers a break. This kid has issues.
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If my kid was trying to stab me, you're damn right I'd spray 'em. :2razz:
 
apdst said:
You'd go to jail for child abuse, too.
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Heres the thing...when you look at this case through the eyes of an attentive father or mother its hard to reconcile the level of force used. The flip side to that of course is that in MOST cases with children like this, application of a little attentive parenting throughout the childs life would mean this would never happen. In MOST cases (with the rare exceptions of those that are truly biochemically imbalanced) these children have learned that there ARE no rules and guidelines...boundaries that are then enforced. Most of these kids are bitter, angry, pissed at the world. Counseling and therapy isnt as effective at this age as simple behavior modification. That requires an effective and willing parent...preferably parents.
 
VanceMack said:
Heres the thing...when you look at this case through the eyes of an attentive father or mother its hard to reconcile the level of force used. The flip side to that of course is that in MOST cases with children like this, application of a little attentive parenting throughout the childs life would mean this would never happen. In MOST cases (with the rare exceptions of those that are truly biochemically imbalanced) these children have learned that there ARE no rules and guidelines...boundaries that are then enforced. Most of these kids are bitter, angry, pissed at the world. Counseling and therapy isnt as effective at this age as simple behavior modification. That requires an effective and willing parent...preferably parents.
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Out of control, poorly parented kids aren't anything new. 30 years ago, when I was in grade school, teachers didn't need cops, tasers, nor pepper spray to keep kids in line.

I don't see this just as a case of crappy parenting. I also see this as a case of crappy teaching.
 
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