A nine-year old girl is pepper sprayed by police in New York State after threatening harm to self and mom
According to CNYCentral News:
"The officer was making an effort to try to get her secured where we could get her some assistance," RPD Executive Deputy Chief Andre Anderson said. "And the officer told her that he wanted to help her, but the young girl was obviously upset."
After about five minutes of struggling with the officer and begging for her dad, the child ends up on the ground, covered in snow. It was 14 degrees on Friday afternoon.
Her custodial parent was watching this unfold from a couple of yards away. A car drove by, began filming and laughing, according to Rochester Police Locust Club President Mike Mazzeo, and the custodial parent began yelling at the people in the car saying, "Can I help you?" Police believe the custodial parent's presence further incited the child's uncooperative behavior. They urged the parent to return home.
Moments later, several more police cars arrived on the scene, and at least three officers came to assist the first officer as they put the girl in handcuffs. They tried to get her into a patrol car and warned her about hypothermia.
Officers succeeded in getting her to sit in a patrol car, but when they asked her to put her feet inside of the car, she resisted and continued screaming for her dad. Mazzeo says one female officer started to develop a rapport with the child. But, when multiple officers failed to get the 9-year-old's feet inside of the car, they lost their patience.
Body camera footage reveals the female officer saying, "I'm gonna pepper spray you, and I don't want to, so sit back ... this is your last chance otherwise pepper spray is going in your eyeballs, come on let's go." (What we know about the pepper-spraying of 9-year-old in Rochester)
What should have been done? Was anyone at fault? Some articles say the police should have used another method of restraint, while other sources say nothing wrong was done. The girl was taken to the hospital and released. Apparently she is physically okay. It is a clearly upsetting incident, but it is not clear if anything wrong was done.
Question: Do you think the police were justified in spraying the girl when should would not cooperate?
WARNING, if you watch the videos in the news stories linked below, please be aware that they are disturbing!
Rochester mayor calls for change after viewing footage of police arresting 9-year-old girl
Senator Samra Brouk: No Excuse for Actions Taken in Avenue B Incident
Police release video of officer pepper spraying handcuffed 9-year-old girl in back of squard car
What we know about the pepper-spraying of 9-year-old in Rochester
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