Autistic boy, 10, handcuffed and detained by police

[AGXStarseed]

(Not written by me)

A video of a 10-year-old boy being handcuffed and led away from school by police officers has prompted outrage after his mother shared the clip on Facebook.

John Benji Haywood was arrested at school on Wednesday


John Benji Haywood of Okeechobee, Florida, arrived at school on Wednesday this week, believing he was going to be taking a test.

He had been suspended from his school, Okeechobee Achievement Academy, last November after allegedly punching and kicking a school employee.

John's mother Luanne says she had no idea a warrant had been issued for her son's arrest following the alleged incident – and both of the them were taken by surprise when officers handcuffed the boy shortly after he returned to school for the first time following the suspension.

John can be heard crying and pleading that he doesn't want to be touched as officers from Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office handcuff him.

As he's led to a police car his mother, filming the incident, tells the officers: "He has autism. He doesn't know what's going on. He's scared to death, he's 10 years old!"

After his arrest John spent the night at a juvenile facility and was released under house arrest the following morning. He is due to appear in court on May 11.

John Benji Haywood is led away by police Credit: Luanna Haywood/Facebook

"[John Benji] is such a sweetie when he is in a supportive loving environment," his mother wrote on Facebook. "Has manners, says yes mame thank you and please. When he is triggered he can be unruly to say the least.

"And you can even see in the video how he is struggling (and succeeding) to use all his coping skills (not taught in school) to stay calm.

"I am wanting this video to go viral to bring awareness of the lack of services within the school system to support children with all disabilities."

Dr Jack Scott, executive director of the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, told WPTV he believed the arrest should have never happened. “I find it deplorable, when I saw it in the video,” he said. “This should never be handled criminally in my view.”


Source: Autistic boy, 10, handcuffed and detained by police

 

[Jennacide]

Wow thats awful...i have a cousin with aspergers the same age and she assaults ppl at school and gets suspended and expelled all the time too... the teachers lock her in an empty classroom when she has her melt downs.. Schools should really be taught how to handle these matters better. My cousin and my aspie specialist offered to go to the school and teach them awareness on the matter and they refused....Absolutely ridiculous

 

[Streetwise]

the truth is it comes down to what they are actually prepared to do
obviously no interest in the loco parentis part of teaching just standing in a im perfect worship me mindset
oh poor me teachers have it hard

 

[sardonic17]

I'm surprised that this happened if his autism was disclosed.

We don't have a diagnosis yet for our son and it has been awful trying to be heard through our school district. He had a general assessment in kindergarten but the staff practically lied to have him not need an IEP. We gave up on them and are homeschooling right now until we can get a proper assessment by a third party.

Now, this makes me worry that even if he has a diagnosis would he get fair treatment from the school system. Disconcerting to say the least...

 

[OkRad]

The trouble is that even with autism, you cannot go around punching and hitting people. I know a lot of people with autism who do not do that and never have. The meltdowns are brief. I have a friend who has a kid in a special school mostly for kids with autism and the policy is they cannot be violent. Violence is a terrible problem, but I would hesitate to say that is an earmark of autism.

What to do with kids that are violent? They need very special schools where teachers know what to do. Putting them inpublic school and arresting them at ten IS NOT SOLUTION.

 

[AustinTheAspie]

It's weird how this took place in that exact same town where that autistic kid was beaten at that party...

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT, WATCH AT OWN RISK

 

[Questella]

How can a ten year old ever be arrested? Juvie is for teenagers, wth. Should of just had the parents come get him and expell him from school if they were so offended by his presence. They could of called for police supervision in the matter but to actually arrest and detain a child... wtf. I want more and more to run to the hills and hide with mine... >:

I hope the state pays for this kids therapy now!

 

[Gritches]

The rationale for this is probably the public policy stating that mental illness is no excuse/justification for violence.

Once again, society lacks understanding of what autism is, and once again an innocent child pays the price for society's lack of willingness or desire to understand. Poor kid.

 

[toothless]

he shouldnt be arrested if his aspergers or autism affects his behavior and thinking significantly which as any autist knows you do not have control or capacity during a meltdown,the police have acted acutely and gone to far,they think theyve got a badly behaved kid when theyve got a kid with an autistic condition.

i dont know what its like in the US,but when i kick off and hurt someone, i apologise to them after and thats it i will repetitively say im sorry for a while,and i go on secretly feeling guilt forever,if its police i have attacked;they have never arrested me as they understand my autism affects my behavior and thinking acutely,yet ive lived with an annoying young aspie lad before who got everything done for him by his family-such as going to the shop for him several times a day so he doesnt have to move [he told staff he had no cartliddge in his knees and his mum backed him up but he was taken for a scan and they said his knees were normal!,he even has a blue badge-a disabled parking badge based on his fake knee claim] ,he made staff and his family pick a used bowl by his feet off the floor and bring it to the kitchen because he didnt want to get off the internet browser, or buying him many thousands of pounds worth of guitars and knives and leaving them all over the public lounge which stopped me and peter [the other lad who lived there,who like me is physically disabled,CP] from being able to sit down,his mum ruled that home,anyway my point is laddo here-attacked a police officer because he couldnt prove he was smarter than another intellectually gifted person [one of the staff] and he was tazered in our bungalow corridor for going for the police,he was arrested and brought to the police station,i heard he was going to have to face court but he got away with it with no issues, waving his million labels around no doubt.

i have a meltdown in the same part of the corridor as him,the police restrain me and calm me down and laddos mum sees me and makes a nasty comment, i was driven to very unsuitable respite care that day and told i was never allowed home as his mum had made a complaint,what about my complaint about his behavior? i fking hate the care company.
sorry i have gone on about something else,the point was about him being tazered and he was