Police take autistic boy to hospital in handcuffs
The Autism News | English
DENVER – Seeing her 8-year-old son in handcuffs and being escorted by Denver Police into Children’s Hospital was a sight a mother wasn’t prepared to watch.
“That was something I was just not prepared to see, my 8-year-old son in handcuffs,” says the boy’s mother, Raiko. She doesn’t want her family’s last name disclosed.
Her son has been diagnosed with autism, and she took a picture of his hands cuffed tightly behind his back as he was walking into the hospital.
She says her son was riding the bus home from school when something triggered an outburst.
The driver took him back to the school and the parents were notified.
Raiko says when she got to the school her son was surrounded by adults, including Denver Public Schools security and two Denver Police officers.
“He’s sitting next to the window with his hands cuffed behind his back and he’s just looking at me,” Raiko says. “All the adults are standing there, and immediately I just broke down in tears.”
The police report describes an out-of-control child.
Denver Public Schools officials say the Denver Police officer made the decision to handcuff the boy. Police and school spokespeople say they handled the situation the way they did in order to make sure everyone, including the boy, was safe.
His mother says she could maybe understand why he might have been restrained initially, but doesn’t understand why police didn’t take the handcuffs off once he had calmed down.
She says police ordered a mental health hold, and then escorted her little boy to the police patrol car, still handcuffed.
Please share your reaction! Give your opinion by filling out the form below.
Share this news with friends, family, or colleagues by clicking on the shortcuts below:
