Cops defend use of pepper spray on 8-year-old during tantrum; boy threatened to stab teachers BY Philip Caulfield DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Wednesday, April 6th 2011, 9:01 AM . Colorado police are defending their decision to pepper spray a crazed 8-year-old after the boy threw a violent tantrum in his classroom and threatened people with a sharp weapon. The boy, identified only as Aiden, had been threatening, spitting and cursing at teachers in his second grade classroom in Lakewood, Colo., on Feb. 22 when schools officials called the cops. When police arrived, the pint-sized perp was wielding a sharp piece of wood trim he had torn off the wall and was trying to stab teachers with it, cops said. "I wanted to make something sharp if they came out because I was so mad at them," the boy later told Colorado's KUSA television. "I was going to try to whack them with it." Cops ordered the boy to drop the stick, but the boy refused, shouting, "Get away from me you f---ers!" police said. Officer then sprayed the boy with two doses of pepper spray and handcuffed him. Aiden's mom, identified as Mandy, said that the boy had anger issues and that it was the third time teachers had called the cops after one of his tantrums. Police spokesman Steve Davis defended the police. "Our officers had to do something to diffuse the situation in a hurry before someone got hurt," Davis told KUSA. "I think the officers made a great choice that day in choosing the pepper spray," he added. Aiden's mom said her son was treated like "a common criminal." "I'm sure what he was doing wasn't right, but he's 8 years old," she told the station. Mandy said the boy was transferred to a school with behavior problems and had been seeing a doctor. "I got like anger things," Aiden said. "It's just who I am. I think it's not ever going to go away." With News Wire Services http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...um_boy_threatened_to_sta.html?r=news/national
I suppose the kid was lucky they didn't taze him, then beat him with nightsticks, but seriously, a group of cops can't handle an 8 year old? And how exactly was pepper spray going to calm him down? I understand that this kid sounds like a rotten little monster, and I would hate to be the teacher or have my kid in his class, but still.
All starts in the home. I've never seen a situation like that where the mother didn't cause or enable it. I hear nothing but excuses in that article. If I acted like that, I wouldn't have been able to sit for a week. You ever been pepper sprayed? Not meant to calm someone down. It is completely incapacitating with no harmful effects after a couple minutes. Absolutely the right choice. Could the cops have detained him? Sure. Should they have to risk getting stabbed by a flailing angry kid with a spear? No. That is what pepper spray is for. Boohoo, his eyes were a bit red and he coughed for a few minutes. Shame on his parents, I say.
Couldn't have learned it at home. Hmmm... must've been the first two times the cops were called on him. they must've taught him that word.
Without actually being there or at least having a video to watch it's hard to second guess what the "right" thing to do would have been in these situations.
The natural assumption is that this kid is closer to the typical 8 year old that we are all familiar with. IOW, relatively easy to be talked down after some time passes and he starts to forget what he was so upset about. The fact that this has happened 3 times now, and only this time did they resort to pepper spray suggests that it wasn't their initial course of action. Pretty hard in my mind to suggest that they overreacted.
Good. Maybe now the little shit will learn how to act properly in public. In round 4, I hope they taser the little prick.