A mother is suing the state of North Carolina after her 7-year-old son was handcuffed at school and threatened by a police officer for 40 minutes. Caught on bodycam video, the officer has the boy on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back before launching a tirade against the frightened child. Although the incident occurred in 2018, it is only now that the footage has been released to the media.
The youngster had apparently gotten in trouble for spitting in the classroom at Pressly School in Statesville, North Carolina, and the police were asked to intervene. The officer, Michael Fattaleh, who works as a 'school resource officer', arrives while two members of staff have the boy restrained. He then puts him face-down on the ground. In the footage, the officer can be heard saying:
"He's mine now."
He then adds:
"Don't move. You spit on me, I'll put a hood on you. I'm not playing that game. I don't do the spitting. I don't mind the walking. I don't mind the occasional shove. But you don't spit here. He's going to get charged. If you, my friend, are not acquainted with the juvenile justice system, you will be very shortly. You ever been charged with a crime before? Well, you're fixing to be."
As the officer acts out towards the child the other staff members do nothing to intervene or calm the situation.
The boy was not charged with any crime and his mother soon appeared on the scene. She said that the 7-year-old had likely been triggered by a busy day at school and, due to his autism, was unable to deal with high levels of stress in a rational manner, which would have been exacerbated by the actions of the police officer.
"How can you charge a special needs kid with a count of assault?"
The officer has now resigned his position, but the mother is now seeking to sue him, the school and the state of North Carolina. He has so far faced no consequences for his actions that day and has been fully cleared by the North Carolina Bureau of Investigations.
This incident is hardly the first involving an autistic child and a police officer to hit the headlines. Earlier this year, a 13-year-old autistic boy in Salt Lake City was shot 13 times by a police officer as he fled the scene after having an argument with his mother. Thankfully he survived the incident.
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