Community members in Maryland and beyond are outraged after the Montgomery County Police Department released bodycam footage from a 2020 incident involving the arrest of a five-year-old boy.
Cops were called to East Silver Spring Elementary School in Silver Spring, Maryland after a kindergartner reportedly left class and wandered away from the school. The nearly hour-long encounter began when two officers found the boy almost half a mile away from the school's premises.
"You feel like you can make your own decisions?" one of the officers asked before the questioning became more aggressive. "You feel like you can do what you want? Does your mama spank you? She's going to spank you today."
Before escorting the boy back to school, the male and female officers continue to scream in the kid's face. Once the boy was back at the school, the boy is heard yelling and crying as the cops continue to lecture and berate him. Once the boy's mother shows up, she too is lectured on her parenting.
The moment that many have taken issue with is when the boy is cuffed in front of his mother in an attempt to scare him.
"You know what these are for? These are for people who don't want to listen and don't know how to act," the officer said.
Earlier this year, the child's mother filed a lawsuit against Montgomery County, the Montgomery County Police Department, and Montgomery County Public Schools. Montgomery County school officials called the video "extremely difficult" to watch in its statement regarding the incident and bodycam footage.
"Our heart aches for this student. There is no excuse for adults to ever speak to or threaten a child in this way," the statement read. "As parents and grandparents, we know that when families send their children to school, they expect that the staff will care for them, keep them safe and use appropriate intervention processes when needed."
The Silver Spring Justice Coalition and Young People For Progress called for the officers to be suspended or fired in their open letter. They also demanded that the county provide compensation and mental health help for the child.
Both officers remain employed following an internal investigation.
