MIAMI (WSVN) – Police took a 7-year-old boy away in handcuffs from a school in Miami after, they said, he attacked a teacher, leaving his parents distraught about the way authorities and school officials handled the situation.
Cellphone footage shows the child in handcuffs after the alleged attack. His mother was brought to tears at the sight.
“I feel like my heart is broken,� said the boy’s mother, Mercy Alvarez.
“I was in shock. Shock,� said his father, Rolando Fuentes.
School police said it all started at the Coral Way K-8 Center in Miami, Thursday morning.
The boy had been taken out of the cafeteria for playing with his food, and that’s when, according to the report, he “attacked the teacher by repeatedly punching her on her back, in the hallway.�
Once the child was restrained, the report said, the child continued to fight the female teacher with his fists and legs. The two then fell to the ground, but it didn’t end there.
The report said, while they were on the ground, the student continued to fight the teacher, “grabbing her hair and pulling it towards him� before he was restrained once again.
The child eventually calmed down and was taken to the principal’s office.
The teacher told police that she wanted to press charges.
“Says he’s a danger to society. I said, ‘What? Seven years old? A danger to society?’â€� said Fuentes.
The boy’s parents have a problem with what happened after incident.
They said they came to the school to talk to the principal and counselors and agreed that their son would be suspended for 10 days. However, the officer told them that she had to arrest the 7-year-old or take him in for psychiatric evaluation.
Speaking through a translator, Alvarez said it’s not a mental health issue or an issue with aggression.
This wasn’t her son’s first run-in with the officer. He was accused of kicking a teacher back in November, but it was resolved with the school.
Alvarez said a psychologist said her son was OK.
While the boy’s parents wait to see what happens next, they have continued to demand answers, because they believe the handcuffs crossed the line.
“We have to make justice,� said Fuentes.
In a statement, Miami-Dade Schools Police Ian Moffett said that similar incidents are rare, but, “This action was warranted to prevent his erratic and violent behavior from bringing further harm to others or himself. The manner in which he was transported to the receiving facility was done in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures.�
School police said this incident is under review.
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