Justified? Police use pepper spray to subdue 8-year-old

Papa_Complex · 04-07-2011, 09:22 AM

As far as I'm concerned, you can remove the question mark. Justified? Hell yeah! When police arrived the kid brandished a sharp piece of would and said something along the lines of, "Come and get me, you fuckers." When his mother arrived, on scene, reports say that her first words to her kid were, "You probably deserved it."

But now she's going to try and turn her evil seed into a payday.

Justified? Police use pepper spray to subdue 8-year-old

The mother of an 8-year-old Colorado boy pepper-sprayed by police after he exploded into a violent rage says she believes that the school and police are partly to blame for allowing the incident to spiral out of control.

“The school he was at was for children who have social and emotional behavioral issues,” the boy’s mom, Mandy, who is identified only by her first name to protect her family’s privacy, told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira Wednesday. “They [knew] what the kids are capable of before they took them on. And then they could have also called and asked for a special [police] unit who deals with children … in these crisis situations.”

The incident, which garnered national attention, began on Feb. 22 in Lakewood, Colo. — the same school district that became synonymous with school violence when two students at Columbine High School went on a bloody rampage in 1999 that left 15 dead. Aidan, a second-grader at the school, suddenly turned on his two teachers, who were alone with him in the classroom.

By the time police arrived, young Aidan was in a full-blown meltdown. He had ripped molding from the wall and tossed chairs and a TV cart around the classroom. He had grabbed a stick and chased his teachers into the office, where they locked themselves in. “I wanted to make something sharp,” he told NBC News. “I was so mad at them.” At one point, police allege, he warned his teachers, “If you come out, you’re gonna die!”

Aidan said he does not remember what triggered his rage. “I don’t know,” he told Vieira. “It’s just the way my body goes.”

In fact, it was not the first time that Aidan’s anger issues had led to a confrontation with police. Twice before, authorities had to be summoned to “talk him down” after outbursts in school, his mother said. It is part of a pattern, she said, that seems to appear only when Aidan is in school, and only at particular times. “He’s a normal 8-year-old child at home with us, when he goes got see his dad in Wyoming, when he’s at soccer, swimming, [with the] baby sitter, he’s fine,” she told Vieira. “We don’t have these issues.” At school, however, things are different. “Usually it’s a transition period from a structured event, such as social studies or reading, into a free time and then going back into a structured event that he has a problem,” she said. Doctors and therapists have evaluated the boy, she said, and can find no cause for his periodic outbursts. “They all say there’s nothing mentally wrong with him.”
Video: Kid wields stick, police use pepper spray (on this page)

She insists that his two previous scrapes with police ended without serious incident because the police who responded were specially trained to deal with children in crisis situations.

This time, however, the situation quickly escalated. Police insist that they ordered the boy to drop the stick and when he refused, they squirted him twice with pepper spray.

But Aidan told a slightly different version of the story to Vieira Wednesday. He said that he had already dropped the stick when police sprayed him. “The first time they said it, I just kind of did it slowly and then once it touched the ground, that’s when it happened.”

Police contend that they handled the matter appropriately, and the school district’s superintendent, Peg Kastberg, defended their actions. “They tried to de-escalate the behavior that occurred; [Aidan] was swinging a stick, he was using it as a weapon, he was violent, he was verbal, he was abusive,” she told NBC News.

No charges have been filed against the boy. He has since been enrolled in another school that specializes in children with behavioral problems. But the boy’s mother continues to insist that authorities could have handled the situation differently. She said she believes that police with proper training could have defused or at least stabilized the situation until she arrived. “I was 10 minutes away,” she said.

And proper training, she says, is what she would like to see come out of this situation. “I do want them to get training ... for crisis situations with children. I don’t think it’s right for an 8-year-old to get pepper-sprayed.”

CasterTroy · 04-07-2011, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

She insists that his two previous scrapes with police ended without serious incident because the police who responded were specially trained to deal with children in crisis situations

That little bastard knew what he was doing. THIS time he got the gas!

These parents that continually blame this shit on the world and ANYONE else instead of just showing the kid consequences of their own actions will be their own ultimate downfall. (as this proves)

No sympathy whatsoever for kid or parent!

jtemple · 04-07-2011, 09:41 AM

He got what was coming to him. Maybe he'll think about the consequences next time.

Pepper spray was probably the safest option for restraining him. Physical contact would just end up injuring him, or the adults involved.

Maybe they should just start using tranquilizer darts, like Wild Kingdom?

KSGregman · 04-07-2011, 10:02 AM

Que up the Chris Rock "How NOT to get your ass kicked by the police" video.

Tmall · 04-07-2011, 10:14 AM

Pepper spray seems a bit excessive for an eight year old. They should have just dropkicked him in the chest and stepped on his hand.

dubbs · 04-07-2011, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tmall

Pepper spray seems a bit excessive for an eight year old. They should have just dropkicked him in the chest and stepped on his hand.

But then the mother would have thought that was excessive... Either way the kid deserved getting hurt if he didn't listen to putting the "weapon(stick)" down..

I just don't get why the police were called.. Your telling me one of the janitors couldn't just take it away from the kid? He's 8.. WTF?

CasterTroy · 04-07-2011, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dubbs

I just don't get why the police were called.. Your telling me one of the janitors couldn't just take it away from the kid? He's 8.. WTF?

You can't SUE a Janitor......you gotta sue a police dept to get money

MILK · 04-07-2011, 10:32 AM

I can't believe he hadn't already been expelled! That was the third time the cops had to go there because of him?!? Good grief!!! If he was that violent I wouldn't have been the cop that injured him (or myself) trying to stop his tantrum. I would have sprayed him too!

Archren · 04-07-2011, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MILK

I can't believe he hadn't already been expelled! That was the third time the cops had to go there because of him?!? Good grief!!! If he was that violent I wouldn't have been the cop that injured him (or myself) trying to stop his tantrum. I would have sprayed him too!

I would have just smoked the crap out of him Army style...

goof2 · 04-07-2011, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dubbs

I just don't get why the police were called.. Your telling me one of the janitors couldn't just take it away from the kid? He's 8.. WTF?

Schools are terrified of doing anything that may be violent to a kid and for good reason. They would much rather have the police come out and deal with the situation because, unlike people at a school, the police are trained in how to subdue violent individuals. Typically more weight will be given to the judgment calls of the cops over the judgment calls of a teacher/janitor/administrator. It also has the benefit of kicking most of the liability from the school and over to the police department.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MILK

I can't believe he hadn't already been expelled! That was the third time the cops had to go there because of him?!? Good grief!!! If he was that violent I wouldn't have been the cop that injured him (or myself) trying to stop his tantrum. I would have sprayed him too!

Good luck with expulsion. It is extremely difficult to permanently expel a kid from school. If I'm remembering it right the school district would have to be able to provide an acceptable alternative for his education before they could remove him from this school for good.

04-07-2011, 09:22 AM	#1
Papa_Complex Nomadic Tribesman Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Brampton, Canada Moto: '09 ER-6n Posts: 11,150	Justified? Police use pepper spray to subdue 8-year-old As far as I'm concerned, you can remove the question mark. Justified? Hell yeah! When police arrived the kid brandished a sharp piece of would and said something along the lines of, "Come and get me, you fuckers." When his mother arrived, on scene, reports say that her first words to her kid were, "You probably deserved it." But now she's going to try and turn her evil seed into a payday. Justified? Police use pepper spray to subdue 8-year-old The mother of an 8-year-old Colorado boy pepper-sprayed by police after he exploded into a violent rage says she believes that the school and police are partly to blame for allowing the incident to spiral out of control. “The school he was at was for children who have social and emotional behavioral issues,” the boy’s mom, Mandy, who is identified only by her first name to protect her family’s privacy, told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira Wednesday. “They [knew] what the kids are capable of before they took them on. And then they could have also called and asked for a special [police] unit who deals with children … in these crisis situations.” The incident, which garnered national attention, began on Feb. 22 in Lakewood, Colo. — the same school district that became synonymous with school violence when two students at Columbine High School went on a bloody rampage in 1999 that left 15 dead. Aidan, a second-grader at the school, suddenly turned on his two teachers, who were alone with him in the classroom. By the time police arrived, young Aidan was in a full-blown meltdown. He had ripped molding from the wall and tossed chairs and a TV cart around the classroom. He had grabbed a stick and chased his teachers into the office, where they locked themselves in. “I wanted to make something sharp,” he told NBC News. “I was so mad at them.” At one point, police allege, he warned his teachers, “If you come out, you’re gonna die!” Aidan said he does not remember what triggered his rage. “I don’t know,” he told Vieira. “It’s just the way my body goes.” In fact, it was not the first time that Aidan’s anger issues had led to a confrontation with police. Twice before, authorities had to be summoned to “talk him down” after outbursts in school, his mother said. It is part of a pattern, she said, that seems to appear only when Aidan is in school, and only at particular times. “He’s a normal 8-year-old child at home with us, when he goes got see his dad in Wyoming, when he’s at soccer, swimming, [with the] baby sitter, he’s fine,” she told Vieira. “We don’t have these issues.” At school, however, things are different. “Usually it’s a transition period from a structured event, such as social studies or reading, into a free time and then going back into a structured event that he has a problem,” she said. Doctors and therapists have evaluated the boy, she said, and can find no cause for his periodic outbursts. “They all say there’s nothing mentally wrong with him.” Video: Kid wields stick, police use pepper spray (on this page) She insists that his two previous scrapes with police ended without serious incident because the police who responded were specially trained to deal with children in crisis situations. This time, however, the situation quickly escalated. Police insist that they ordered the boy to drop the stick and when he refused, they squirted him twice with pepper spray. But Aidan told a slightly different version of the story to Vieira Wednesday. He said that he had already dropped the stick when police sprayed him. “The first time they said it, I just kind of did it slowly and then once it touched the ground, that’s when it happened.” Police contend that they handled the matter appropriately, and the school district’s superintendent, Peg Kastberg, defended their actions. “They tried to de-escalate the behavior that occurred; [Aidan] was swinging a stick, he was using it as a weapon, he was violent, he was verbal, he was abusive,” she told NBC News. No charges have been filed against the boy. He has since been enrolled in another school that specializes in children with behavioral problems. But the boy’s mother continues to insist that authorities could have handled the situation differently. She said she believes that police with proper training could have defused or at least stabilized the situation until she arrived. “I was 10 minutes away,” she said. And proper training, she says, is what she would like to see come out of this situation. “I do want them to get training ... for crisis situations with children. I don’t think it’s right for an 8-year-old to get pepper-sprayed.” __________________ "Everything's better with pirates." - Lodge, "Dorkness Rising" http://www.morallyambiguous.net/

04-07-2011, 09:41 AM	#3
jtemple Geek Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Papillion, Nebraska Moto: 2011 Husqvarna TE630 Posts: 1,437	He got what was coming to him. Maybe he'll think about the consequences next time. Pepper spray was probably the safest option for restraining him. Physical contact would just end up injuring him, or the adults involved. Maybe they should just start using tranquilizer darts, like Wild Kingdom?

04-07-2011, 10:02 AM	#4
KSGregman Get Fit...or Get OUT Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: KS Moto: 07 M109-R Posts: 1,993	Que up the Chris Rock "How NOT to get your ass kicked by the police" video.

04-07-2011, 10:14 AM	#5
Tmall Aspiring Rapper Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Halifax, NS Moto: '12 CB1000R Posts: 3,569	Pepper spray seems a bit excessive for an eight year old. They should have just dropkicked him in the chest and stepped on his hand.

04-07-2011, 10:32 AM	#8
MILK The cows want you dead. Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 2,087	I can't believe he hadn't already been expelled! That was the third time the cops had to go there because of him?!? Good grief!!! If he was that violent I wouldn't have been the cop that injured him (or myself) trying to stop his tantrum. I would have sprayed him too!