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I've heard about it a bit....what hasn't been mentioned here is that the child had already thrown and broken a television and had threatened the lives of students/teachers/staff. This was not just a kid throwing a tantrum - he was not simply "unruly". I believe he was already in a special class due to his anger issues. So the school and teachers were aware and able to handle "normal" anger situations. This had obviously gone beyond that. The whole situation is unfortunate. Not being there, I couldn't say what was appropriate. Wonder if, in trying to get the sharp thing out of his hand, he would have been bruised or worse? He wasn't tasered. He wasn't physically hurt. Maybe the pepper spray was the option with the least potential for harm to the child. Why on earth the mother felt the need to parade her child on local and national tv is beyond me.
Last edited by maciesmom; 04-07-2011 at 09:00 AM..
Unless you have tried to physically restrain a child in this type situation, you don't really have any idea what it requires. A child this out of control has so much momentum and force going that they are far stronger than normal. The strength it would take from an adult to restrain a child would almost certainly injure that same child.
I've had to restrain out of control children and then had to apologize to the parents for bruising their arms while holding them (in the approved restraint hold) and I am talking about children several years younger than this boy. Over the years I've been kicked, hit, almost bitten, stomped on, head butted and spit on.
The worst was a threat and move to kick me from a 10 yr old while I was 8 months pregnant. Thankfully he didn't follow through or I would have taken him down without worry about hurting him, no doubt in my mind at all. So yeah I can see the use of pepper spray being the best alternative in a situation like this.
The mother needs to step up and take responsibility as a parent to get this child the services he needs instead of being indignant and in denial.
I honestly dont know how to feel about this, the kid was 8 how hard would it have been to disarm a kid weilding a piece of molding?
Seriously how much physical force would it have taken?
If it was a gun or other sort of hard impact projectile, sure disarm however you can.
Most if not all police wear kevlar vests, capeable of stopping bullets so a were they afraid a pointy flimsy piece of molding was going to penetrate?
Would the child @ 8 have the cunning to "aim for the eyes"?
I also ask myself this question every time I see a child commiting a violent act...
"what makes a kid so young even think to do something like this"
The mother is trash in my opinion for parading her kid in front of TV, but it's cash in her pocket.
I honestly dont know how to feel about this, the kid was 8 how hard would it have been to disarm a kid weilding a piece of molding?
Seriously how much physical force would it have taken?
If it was a gun or other sort of hard impact projectile, sure disarm however you can.
Most if not all police wear kevlar vests, capeable of stopping bullets so a were they afraid a pointy flimsy piece of molding was going to penetrate?
Would the child @ 8 have the cunning to "aim for the eyes"?
I also ask myself this question every time I see a child commiting a violent act...
"what makes a kid so young even think to do something like this"
The mother is trash in my opinion for parading her kid in front of TV, but it's cash in her pocket.
I doubt the police were "afraid" of the pointy moulding. My guess is they were afraid of the child either hurting himself or them hurting the child more by trying to disarm him during a violent episode. To my knowledge, pepper spray has no long lasting side effects. Apparently he is well enough to travel.
Probably - but it sounds like the kid has some serious underlying issues. Nothing a little pepper spray and national talk show appearances can't clear up though.
Let's be honest here. Given the mother's demeanor now ("He's a perfect angel at home; it's all the school's fault"), the police were probably smart not to lay a hand on the kid. She would be screaming police brutality and looking to sue the teachers, the school, and the police had that kid come away with so much as a scratch. An 8-year old in a rage can be a formidable thing to behold. And let's not forget the ages of the kids who shot up the school in Arkansas (one was 11), so don't assume that because he's only 8, he can't be dangerous. The child clearly has an established history of behavioral problems; I believe that they said on TV this was the third time the police had been called to the school due to his behavior. Child needs a good therapist ASAP, as does the mother!
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