Pepper spraying an 8 year old

CrazyRabbit

Cops in the US sprayed an out-of-control 8 year old with pepper spray after he started threatening everyone with a sharpened piece of wood.

What does AH think? Did the cops go to far? Is this just a lack of discipline issue or does this kid need psychological help?

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/06/police-pepper-spray-8-year-old-aidan-elliott-in-colorado-element/

Aidan Elliott admits that he was out of control.

When police entered his second-grade classroom, Aidan, an 8-year-old Colorado boy, was in the midst of a violent tantrum, wielding a sharp piece of molding he had ripped off the wall and used to threaten his teachers' lives.

His mother, however, says there's no excuse for what happened next.

Police, seeking to diffuse the situation, sprayed Aidan with pepper spray, twice.

"He's a child. There were two grown police officers and they didn't even try to talk to him," Aidan's mom, Mandy Elliott, said in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America." "You talk to him and you find out what it is that's bothering him as well. You don't just walk in, ask him to stop and then spray."

Aidan, however, says he understood the officers' actions.

"I kinda deserved it," he told NBC's "Today" show Wednesday. "I just get angry a lot."

But the unusual confrontation, which took place Feb. 22 at Glennon Heights Elementary School in Lakewood, Colo., has some questioning whether police used excessive force. Elliott says she's filing a complaint with the Police Department.

Lakewood police say they have no regrets and did their best to make sure no one was harmed in the classroom, where teachers were so afraid of Aidan that they had barricaded themselves in a closet.

"You've got teachers barricading themselves in a room. They are obviously frightened," Lakewood Police spokesman Steve Davis told KUSA-TV. "I think they not only made the right choice, they made a great choice that day to use the pepper spray."

Aidan's mother said her son only gets upset at school and doesn't experience the same kind of meltdowns at home with his family. The second-grader, who has since transferred to a different school, told ABC that school makes him uncomfortable and said he would rather be home with his mother.

When asked if he had intended to use the wall trim as a weapon and actually hurt his teachers, Aidan replied, "Um, kind of."

Later, though, he said he was sorry for the way he had behaved.

landsleaving

Pepper spray the parents.

hoodwinked

aw c'mon its not like they shot him, the kid was terrorising them he deserved it imo.

sunflower27

I'm hungry

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

landsleaving wrote: »

Pepper spray the parents.

Oh so it was the parents in the classroom going nuts with the piece of wood?

How a grown man couldn't go over and just pick the kid up is beyond me. Excessive imo. Child was way out of order, but he's a child... don't pepper spray him...

sunflower27

Adaline Magnificent Gateway wrote: »

but he's a child... don't pepper spray him...

Dr Pepper him.

landsleaving

Adaline Magnificent Gateway wrote: »

Oh so it was the parents in the classroom going nuts with the piece of wood?

Yes.

efb

pepper spray him with piss

chin_grin

Can't. Stop. Laughing. At. Thread. Title. :pac:

PandyAndy

sunflower27 wrote: »

Dr Pepper him.

Sure, what's the worse that could happen?

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Hang on here, what bloody cops get themselves barracaded when dealing with one 8 year old...?

They'll go neuclear on a protester but they're scared of a kid?

southsiderosie

Adaline Magnificent Gateway wrote: »

Oh so it was the parents in the classroom going nuts with the piece of wood?

How a grown man couldn't go over and just pick the kid up is beyond me. Excessive imo. Child was way out of order, but he's a child... don't pepper spray him...

And if that kid had one mark on him, his parents would have sued the police department for child abuse.

Honestly, I don't know how teachers in the US do it; the inmates are definitely running the asylum, and they know more about 'their rights' than a jailhouse lawyer.

Why exactly was Pepper spraying a child so young?

Dyr

should have tazered the wee bag of pish

Yakult

Its only pepper spray ffs. Yes it will sting like a bitch for a few hours but it sucessfully imobilises the target who was clearly a threat to the public. 8 years old or not, he found himself in a situation that he shouldnt be in at that age, police thought him a lesson and hopefully he learned he's lesson.

We should do it to some of the youth here, would shut them the fcuk up.

The Shtig

He was threatening the lives of the teachers, students and cops of course he should have been pepper sprayed. If he wasn't he would continue to act the same way as he knew he could pretty much get away with it.

It should be dealt seriously after the likes of the Columbine and Virginia Tech shootings (even though this situation is nothing compared to those events), there should be no threat to children in schools.

sunflower27

Deleted User wrote: »

Why exactly was Pepper spraying a child so young?

That Pepper was taking the piss.

genericguy

he got off lightly. our gardaí probably would have threatened to rape him and befriend him on facebox.

Why were the police called for a tantrum

Jesus Wept

Sounds like a bit more than a tantrum having watched the link.

Raging_Ninja

Adults dealing with kids can be harsh, especially if they have to manhandle the kid.

You have two grown men grabbing hold of a kid, could be easy to hurt him. Added to this is the fact that all it takes is one person to see things the wrong way and scream 'paedo!' or make allegations of 'inappropriate touching', and you could ruined the lives of two men trying to do their job.

IMO pepper spray was the safest option, both for the kid, and for the police officers.

bluewolf

bluewolf wrote: »

Why were the police called for a tantrum

It's no longer a tantrum when a weapon is involved, with the intention of inflicting injury.

Milky Moo

This lead me to think about that story of that kindergardener who got suspended for pretending a chicken dipper was a gun. Now I would love some chicken dippers......mmmmm!

Anyway back on topic, it seems awfully extreme even if the kid was going crazy pepper spray is way too severe!

PrincessLola

Is pepper spray legal in Ireland? I want some..:cool:

davetherave

Police officer dies from blood loss after aggressive child with sharpened wooden stake stabs him in femoral artery. The officer in question was apparently attempting to calm the child down when the incident occurred.

Kid who poses a threat has itchy eyes for four hours after being restrained with non-lethal agent.


Hmmm yes, I can see which outcome would be better all right :rolleyes:

Cianos

No need to pepper spray an 8 year old ffs.

Fremen

...and yet people lose the plot completely if a parent smacks a child.

Hunter Mahan

It was only Pepper Spray, stings a bit, but he'll get over it. I never knew there were so many pretentious, bleeding heart liberals living in this country.

I blame Glee and Home and Away..

mikom

Pepper spraying an 8 year old

Thread disappoints.
I thought this was about Brian Pepper spraying an 8 year old

Homer

bluewolf wrote: »

Why were the police called for a tantrum

In the clip it says it was the third time the police have been called for this child? Spawn of Satan or what! Tazer the little git next time!

OutlawPete

PrincessLola wrote: »

Is pepper spray legal in Ireland? I want some..:cool:

I bet you do

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RBYgEZqrJs

vampire of kilmainham

Adaline Magnificent Gateway wrote: »

Oh so it was the parents in the classroom going nuts with the piece of wood?

How a grown man couldn't go over and just pick the kid up is beyond me. Excessive imo. Child was way out of order, but he's a child... don't pepper spray him...

sure the pepper spray wont do him any harm but if he has anger issues then he need's some professional help...

vampire of kilmainham

bluewolf wrote: »

Why were the police called for a tantrum

i wonder was it the tantrum unit that responded :D:D

vampire of kilmainham

genericguy wrote: »

he got off lightly. our gardaí probably would have threatened to rape him and befriend him on facebox.

nowwww nowwwww behave:rolleyes::rolleyes:;);)

PrincessLola

OutlawPete wrote: »

I bet you do

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RBYgEZqrJs

Yeah take it b*tch! take it!
(Although, I had more in mind any scumbags trying to mug me)

landsleaving

PrincessLola wrote: »

Yeah take it b*tch! take it!

Is pepper spray the natural evolution from whips and ball gags for you?

MagicSean

genericguy wrote: »

he got off lightly. our gardaí probably would have threatened to rape him and befriend him on facebox.

Yeah I bet he's thanking his lucky stars that he was pepper sprayed and not the subject of a bad joke.

purity

Brat deserved the pepper spray

Hank_Jones

Let there be a video of the kid getting sprayed.....

Raze_them_all

Ah america, where the cops bring a gun to a snowball fight and pepper spray an 8 year old.

Squirm

I work with young people with behavioural problems and I have called the Gardaí on a number of occasions. an 8yr old is most certainly capable of injuring other people and damaging property and, when in the height of a violent outburst, can pose a very real risk to themselves and others. Despite being small in stature, a child can be very difficult to contain physically without specific training. When you consider the difficulty one can have in physically holding and restraining an "out of control" 2yr old, who is arching his back and kicking and lashing out and then, imagine a much larger and stronger child brandishing a piece of wood, you can see why they may have felt that they needed back up. It is not in the teacher's job description to deal with that level of physical violence. In my job we do lengthy and comprehensive courses in physical restraint and the regulations on it's use are very stringent. For example, no child with asthma can ever be physicaly restrained. If two people are restraining a child, they must be of equal height and build (roughly), if doing a single person, small child restraint, the environment must be suitable i.e. plenty of space and a large section of wall with no furniture backing on to it or near it.... etc etc etc. The police may well have been capable of restraining the child manually, but perhaps the situation was unacceptable to do so. Pepper spray may sound harsh and OTT but, having been assaulted and threatened by young people in the past, I can appreciate that they may well have made the right decision and the safest for the child. Granted, I am more accostomed to working with young teenagers, aged 12+ but, I have in the past had violent dealings with 8+ yr olds and I can guarantee that they are capable of more than you might think!!

Gummy Panda

Raze_them_all wrote: »

Ah america, where the cops bring a gun to a snowball fight and pepper spray an 8 year old.

It's the Chicago way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ScvAJG51V4

HarryPotter41

The child accepts he deserved it, the mother is sueing. I think that says it all.

stovelid

/platitude about parental control written from my room in my parents house where I currently live

Son Of A Vidic

Little fcuking nut, can you imagine what he'll be like when he's 18? Possession of a potential deadly weapon, displaying threat and intent. They should have stunned gunned him.

loobylou

Shock and awe, its the American way.

MagicSean

That kid sounds more dangerous than the squirrel.

Dudess

Hunter Mahan wrote: »

I never knew there were so many pretentious, bleeding heart liberals living in this country.

I blame Glee and Home and Away..

Derp. Btw, how is it pretentious?

Squirm wrote: »

child brandishing a piece of wood, you can see why they may have felt that they needed back up

Dunjohn

I think it's absolutely disgraceful that they pepper-sprayed an eight-year-old child. He'll only develop an immunity and then it won't work when he's older. Then we're ****ed.

MagicSean

Dunjohn wrote: »

I think it's absolutely disgraceful that they pepper-sprayed an eight-year-old child. He'll only develop an immunity and then it won't work when he's older. Then we're ****ed.

They'll probably just shoot him.