Posted on 03/02/2009 11:30:07 AM PST by NormsRevenge
HAWTHORNE - Hawthorne police have launched a misconduct investigation of an officer who used a 50,000-volt stun gun on a violent autistic 12-year-old boy at one of the city's middle schools, it was reported today.
Such use of electroshock weapons by police on young students is rare, but high-profile incidents have sparked fierce debate around the country over when, if ever, Tasers should be used on children.
A Hawthorne police spokesman told The Los Angeles Times that the department launched its investigation in response to a complaint by the boy's parents days after the Sept. 23 incident. He said department officials are reviewing the incident to determine whether the officer followed the agency's rules on using Tasers.
Lt. Michael Ishii said that police were called to Hawthorne Middle School after a student grabbed a counselor in a threatening manner and punched and kicked a security guard who intervened.
The boy, described as about 5 feet 7 and 130 to 150 pounds, threatened to kill staff members and continued assaulting the guard, who tried to protect other staffers, Ishii said.
Officer Vincent Arias arrived at the school about 11:30 a.m. The boy, whose name was not released, continued behaving violently and kicked Arias in the groin as about 200 students looked on from the school grounds.
School officials called the boy's adult sister to the site but she was unable to calm him, Ishii said. Arias, he said, fired a hand-held X26 Taser when the boy dashed toward the school's exit and the area where other students were in a physical education class.
The boy was not hurt, but his family complained, prompting the department to launch its investigation. The probe is examining whether the officer should have used an alternative method to detain the boy, Ishii said.
"The police did what they thought they needed to do," said Donald Carrington, superintendent of the Hawthorne Unified School District.
The incident and others have brought to light if use of electroshock weapons should be banned when involving children.
Taser proponents believe the weapons give officers the ability to safely detain unruly students without resorting to batons or other physical force. But critics argue there hasn't been enough research done on the medical effects of shocking children and that using Tasers on minors is inappropriate.
"This is a question of common sense. . . . You don't discharge a Taser at a child, absent the most extreme circumstances," said Michael Gennaco, a former federal prosecutor who now monitors internal discipline of deputies for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Tasers have become increasingly common in police arsenals, winning praise from law enforcement officials who say they help subdue combative suspects and prevent more serious injuries.
Some civil rights groups have criticized the devices, with Amnesty International estimating that since June 2001, more than 334 people in the U.S. died after being Tasered.
"The risks of using a Taser on a child are just not understood well enough at this point to justify their use," said Hector Villagra, director of the Orange County office of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.
Some law enforcement agencies, including those in New York City and Las Vegas, have restricted the use of the weapons on minors. Los Angeles Unified School District police officers do not carry Tasers.
Jail time for those involved.
Key word missing in headline, “Violent”.
Must have been one giant 12 year old to scare the big bad policeman.
we just had this happen in indiana last week, too. carmel/noblesville?
Okay now I read..
The boy, described as about 5 feet 7 and 130 to 150 pounds, threatened to kill staff members and continued assaulting the guard, who tried to protect other staffers, Ishii said.
But still.
We have 12 year old boys in school at 6 feet and 240 pounds. They do not wear signs that say "autistic". When one gets violent it is the officers duty to protect other children. I wasn't there but I understand the threat.
true... Jail time...
The boy .. about 5 feet 7 and 130 to 150 pounds, ..
I feel for police officers these days. It ain’t easy responding to a call without knowing what lies waiting .. or kicking.
Violent autistic children don’t belong in an ordinary middle school. If the police had tried to restrain the kid by grabbing him, his parents would be displaying his bruises to the media and suing the police department anyway.
5’7”? 130-150 lbs?
That is a BIG 12 yo.
(yo Norm. Got any sun over there?)
I'm no fan of the recent spate of police using excessive force, but this may be a case where the force was appropriate to protect other people from harm.
Sun, Nope. It’s in dribble mode here..
This was probably the kids' first violent episode. Probably. That said, I expect he'll be in an appropriate setting after this.
You take out the age of the person involved, and just state that a 5'7” 150 pound person started running at a playground full of children, making death threats and half of those objecting would be wondering why a teacher didn't have a concealed carry permit and take down the perp.
This is one of those stories I'd be more than willing to get more facts about, and the situation, as well as why the area wasn't better contained, before I get out the rope to hang the officer for using the tools we give him. A couple puncture marks vs some kid beat up, much less the perp being beaten, seems like a /very/ reasonable exchange.
Tasers are being abused, but this kid is as big as an adult and supposedly violent, even kicking the cop. That would be enough for me to justify the taser.
this may be a case where the force was appropriate to protect other people from harm.
—
as to excessive force, police are just using the tools provided them.
Sure, abuse does occur but, overall, most police are not ‘taser’ or ‘trigger’ happy.
Just because they are 12 does not mean they aren't dangerous! '12-year-old' Afghan suicide bomber kills three marines
A 5’ 7” 150 pound 12-year-old?
Beating up the security guard???
Sounds like tazing was the way to go. Hope the people who were hurt sue the parents.
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