Parents upset autistic boy, 10, handcuffed, placed on Kissimmee police cruiser
Child allegedly threatened to hurt himself
The parents of a 10-year-old boy with autism are upset after they said Kissimmee police handcuffed and propped the child up on a police cruiser.
WESH 2 spoke with the child's parents Wednesday night. They said their son was treated unfairly and with unnecessary force.
Kissimmee police said they were just trying to prevent the boy from harming others and himself.
The incident took place last month at Cypress Elementary school.
The boy's teacher called police after he violently acted out in class. At one point the child allegedly grabbed scissors and threatened to "cut off his fingers" and "kill himself."
Officers said the boy punched, kicked, and continue to make threats when they arrived. So they decided to submit him for a mental health evaluation.
Police said they didn't handcuff the boy on the ground, because the asphalt was too hot.
An officer wrote in his report, "The trunk lid was cool enough that it would not harm the boy and it would allow me to secure him from moving around and kicking me."
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By this time the child's father was on the scene. He snapped the photo that spread on social media.
He said officers didn't give him a chance to calm down his son.
The family said the boy is back in their custody, and is afraid to return to school.
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