Police Use Pepper Spray to Subdue 8-Year-Old at School

All people keep saying is that this kid needs is counseling. The problem is that his mom thinks that it isn't his fault. She needs to start disciplining him. Maybe he needs a father figure. Also a good way to help his anger problem would be to get him into football or hockey. If he plays a contact sport that will let him get his anger out. I play rugby and it is a very good way to relieve stress and anger.

Ok, I read this, watched the video, and I read the first page full of replies......I got 1 major question for this situation. Where the hell is the FATHER? A boy's main role model in his entire life, bitch all you want moms but it's genetics, and there is no mention of him. Is he dead? Single mother? Prison? What?

Also to K Inman.....you've raised 8 kids and if any of them came at you with a sharpened stick saying "I will kill you" you think you can talk them down? Bullshit. If the kid is joking around maybe, but if he's seriously trying to kill you then he's going to try. You may think an 8yo is harmless, but let one get a hold of a piece of wood and hit you a few times. Especially one that is wood trimming, probably has nails or staples in it every couple of inches, that he could just rip it off alone shows he's got the strength to do serious damage to anyone who he tries to hit.

And back to the mom, she's in denial of the scope of his problem and ignorant of the MAJOR difference between "social and emotional behavior" problems and the anger and berserker's rage problems this kid has, which is also bi-polar if he's fine and dandy one place and out of control another. Social and emotional behavior problem kids are ones who just sit quietly and don't do anything with other kids, they get picked on and left out of playground games. A berserker and anger problem bi-polar kid just randomly flips out at someone for apparently no reason at all.

The mom is to blame for her kid's lack of discipline flat out, if this is the 3rd time it's gotten to the point police were called then she should realize the pattern and problem and get him where he needs to be. And I think I heard her say she was only 10 minutes away from the school, why wasn't she there? I'm sure whenever the cops were called about a minor that their parent was informed. If not then yes the school failed to call the parent, however under the situation I would not think to call the mom either as I could only think of calling the police if my life was under threat of death.

Parents need the right to discipline their kids like they use to, a good spanking sends a clear message, now if you beat them half to death then yes you should get in trouble yourself. The fact that a kid by the age of 12 knows to call social services anytime mommy or daddy even say they will smack them in the mouth for cussing at them or make them have soap in their mouth, that should tell you the system is just making a generation of kids who think no one can touch them. If you grow up and your actions have no other consequence other than sitting in your room, which usually has a TV, gaming system, books, radio, and all your other toys, then you get spoiled rotten into thinking nothing is a big deal and you can get by with it for next to nothing.

Here's how I was raised, TV and gaming systems were unplugged and cords kept hidden if it was something minor, this was proceeded and followed by a long discussion on why it was wrong. If it was something really bad that I was told not to do or was wrong and I did it anyway I got a spanking with a belt or the hand, usually about 5 or 10 licks, and sent to my room with no TV, games, or books. I was not beaten till I couldn't sit down but it did hurt enough that my body made a physical muscle pain memory of why that was not a good thing to do. I turned out fine, don't drink but on special occasions, toasting at weddings and such, don't smoke cigarettes even though both parents did, don't dip or chew tobacco, absolutely no drugs at all unless proscribed by a doctor for treatment of illness or disease. Now the ones in my graduating class who's parents were too afraid of the system to do any punishment, some are in gangs, some have gone to jail already, some just are so spoiled rotten that they can't hold down a job for very long cause things don't go their way there. Others just had a few life experiences that did what the parents wouldn't, usually like getting their asses kicked by some one they tried to treat like their parents at college thinking if their parents were too afraid of the system to whip me then this punk won't fight me either. Others turned out fine and went to the military to become good soldiers, though it took a good amount of work from the drill sergeant I'm sure. Everyone is a product of the environment surrounding them, if you are coddled too much by that environment growing up then you expect the same of the rest of the world when you become an adult. Prepare your kids for the world, stop trying to shield them from it completely just because you think them too young and innocent. If you don't teach your kids that hot burns, sharp cuts, pointy pierces, and heavy comes down hard, then they don't know this when reacting to their environment when the parent, who is the shield, isn't there to keep everything away.

Back on subject, the police spraying the kid, ok so he's 8 years old, about waist to chest high on an average man, with a stick of wood trimming, if he seemed like he wasn't going to put the stick down I doubt I would be willing to try to bare handed get it away from him. With his intent on wanting to kill the teachers if they came out, I would assume that would go for me too coming to stop him. Size doesn't matter in a fight as much as people seem to think, nor does age. A small fighter can easily be a deadly one if he's able to get under and inside your reach. A large fighter of course has a longer reach and can keep others away if he is good. But if an 8 year old, who is at average height, comes to hit me with anything, hands, fists, weapon of any kind, it is most likely going to hit in the groin or lower abdomen which can prove fatal very easily. I would react the same way the cops did, use something to keep the boy from getting in reach of me, coming at me or not, disarming him as fast as possible, the subduing him so he can't flail around and do damage to me or anyone around until he calms down.

The mom thinks every police department has the money and time to sit in a classroom and teach cops how to deal with special needs children and can afford to have a whole team of them on hand and ready to go just for that situation alone. I'm sorry madam but you need to take a tour of your local police department, they probably have their hands full and short staffed enough as it is with just adult criminals. Hell my local police department has to charge for funeral escorts just cause they have to find and pay someone who is on their 1 day of maybe 1 or 2 days they have off that week, and the hours will probably put them into overtime as well, in order to keep the patrols going and answering the calls they get. Cops aren't just sitting around at the local dinner drinking coffee and eating donuts like she seems to think. They are doing their jobs as best as they can and ending them as fast as possible so that things do not escalate and involve civilian casualties if they try and take a ton of time on them.

The cops did their job, the kid was disarmed, subdued, and calmed down without the needless fighting or the risk taking of trying to talk him down and allowing another student to walk by and become curious, or one of the teachers to come out and get hit, and let's not forget the most important problem that could have happened if they just talked to him, the kid didn't hurt HIMSELF. When the mom got there I'm sure he was calmed down, unharmed except for itchy burning eyes, and everyone was safe. Would she think the same way if he had swung that thing and stabbed himself by mistake and then the cops tried to disarm him? No, she'd be yelling at the cops at why they didn't do it sooner!

Well this is a nice lil book, I'm out I'm getting too pissed off myself, I'm going to go play a videogame and calm myself down before I go crazy and start threatening people foolishly and needlessly just cause I'm "too pissed off to control myself and therefore not responsible for my actions just cause I don't know why but I can't control myself." And then I'll read a book and watch a movie and whatever other fun stuff I can do.

Sounds like he may suffer from L.O.A.W. Lack of A$$ Whooping. This can be cured by the liberal application of a belt to the backside region of the body.

To K Inman,

Sounds like you raised you 8 kids right. My question to you is that has one of your kids grabbed a weapon and told you if you come out that they will kill you? Probably not. An eight year old can kill you just as easily as a 28 year old.

Another question for you is have you ever encountered a situation where you have had to disarm another person with a weapon. Let me tell you it isn't easy and it is very dangerous. What would you say if the police officer starts to fight for the weapon this kid has and in the process loses his gun to the eight year old? Everytime you place you hands on someone, the risk of injury increase exponentially. The safest way to disarm a violent person, child or not, is to use OC spray.

Some eight year olds are the size of teenagers. Even in this kids case, anger increases the adrenaline in your system which increases your strength.

I have been hit with OC, pepper, spray before and it burns, but with proper decontamination (running water over your eyes and face) most of the burn is gone within 30 minutes to an hour. OC spray affects your mucus membranes, not your lungs. OC spray is a lot better than a bullet center mass.

Before you criticize the officers again, try to gain more experience on this subject. Look past your children. Try and disarm a pissed off eight year old with a weapon. Get trained in OC spray where you experience the effects yourself. After all of that, then tell me whether these officers actions were appropriate or not. Some individuals can not be reasoned with and need to be subdued using the tools on the police officer's belt.

Really? She believes the police need training to deal with her child whom is 8 years old and has problems that has landed him in a school that specializes in behavior problem children.......... and she thinks they need training? And then go on tv because you want to tell the world that your child was pepper sprayed because her threatened two teachers..........................what?

Good...maybe it will teach the little punk. If he behaves this way in school I can imagine what he is like at home.

They taught the kid how to handle thing I see

That little boy is off the hook and out of control. If he does'nt act like that at home why would he cut up at school like that. If you ask me they should have tasered him....

Both mom and son need remedial work out back of the woodshed.

What state did this occur in, because it is impossible to be a student in a school for emotionally or socially disturbed kids w/o a diagnosis. Districts won't pay for it, someone's lying. Doesn't make sense, and I do it for a living. Every school I ever worked in had a certification process to learn how to handle these children when they lose control, that in no way harms them. From a professional point of view, homegirl needs to find a new school, they have no idea what they're doing.

I cannot believe this mom thought she would get sympathy (and probably a successful lawsuit). Hopefully, she is not raising any more future Charles Manson's at home. If that were my son, after the police had to come to the school three times, I think I would get the message that my kid and I both needed professional help.

This is sad. I see that there are alot of dumb ass people here that criticize the kid and the mom so easily based on assumptions. What if he would of hurt some one, what If my kid was there, if the mom would dicispline... why is the dad not present.
The facts are: This kid obviusly has emotional problems.
The kid was threatening to kill with a stick!!! And police could not take this "weapon" from him so they had to use pepper spray!!!. I would say if a trained police officer can't take a stick from an 8 year old you probably need to look for a different job. I don't know how people don't realize how stupid it was to do this to the kid.
I'm sure it would be a different story if it was their own kid being hurt like that by the police.

I can see it now, mom sues police, school and teacher. Wins a few million dollars, writes a book and goes on national TV (already happened). Child continues unruly behavior and becomes the next criminal. Ahh the American way. Don't take responsibility.

What about zero tolerance? If this school is specially for troubled kids maybe they don't have this policy but regular public schools do. If you repeatedly verbally and physically threaten harm to staff or another student you should be out of public school, period ! He should not get away with this and his parents should be in support of the police and the school staff in preventing this from happening again.

Sounds to me like this boy has an Evil Spirit. Evil spirits are real and the age of the person that they enter has no bearing. They will enter whomever they are able to. His parents sought everything except Godly counsel.

Maybe they should "tase your butt"

I agree with you! This is the third time police have been called to the school about this kid. He needs discipline at home and taught how to act in public and with other kids. He threatened the staff AND police. If he was mine, he certainly would not be on TV - he'd be lucky to be able to sit at all! That's the trouble with kids and parents today - no discipline - always EXCUSES and defending brats. Lousey parents = bratty kids. Sick to death of BOTH!

you are right chris & sly, as a person who has been woking with boys who have behavioural problems for over 30 years, spanking WORKS with children who have extreme behavioural problems as this boys does.

It makes no intelligent sense to teach a child to be non violent by an act of violence. "Don't hit others" you say as you smack your kid...duh. Total isolation wherein no one responds to his crying and demands, except for his food needs... and I always liked the repetitive demands to write " I will not threaten other people " until it sinks in that that is unacceptable in a community society.