Lakewood Police Use Pepper Spray On Second Grader

LAKEWOOD, Colo. -- The mother of an 8-year-old boy pepper-sprayed by suburban Denver police as he threw a violent tantrum at his elementary school said Wednesday that she wishes authorities had chosen to talk him down instead.

Police in Lakewood say they pepper-sprayed 8-year-old Aidan Elliott twice Feb. 22 at Glennon Heights Elementary School after he refused to drop a piece of wooden wall trim that he was trying to stab them with.

"I wanted to make something sharp, like if they came out, 'cause i was so mad at them," the boy said on NBC's "Today" show. "I was going to try to whack them with it."

His mother, Mandy, said she wants police in Lakewood to get special training in dealing with children. She said her son has a history of behavioral problems and has responded to rationalization in previous outbursts.

"I don't think a child should get pepper sprayed," the woman said.

Asked on ABC's "Good Morning America" whether he meant it when he told police he wanted to kill them, the boy responded: "A little."

Police say pepper-spraying the boy was the safest option.

"I kind of deserved it," Aidan conceded to "Today."

The mother said her son was in a special program for children with behavioral problems. He has since transferred to another school.

WATCH:

Comments

[Six Gator]

01:22 PM on 04/11/2011

of course she wants extra training for others...diverts the responsibility from her...Apparently, saying "No" to her son (like saying "No" to a third trip threw the buffett) is impossible!??..

[Mark Burwinkel]

05:57 PM on 04/10/2011

Wow, so incredible, you tend to loose confidence in the police if they can't subdue a second grader with a stick without risky technology. If these offices can't out think a second grader, maybe they need to go back and get some better training or possibly duties that don't put citizens in harm. Shouldn't the police have a hypocritical oath, first do no harm.

[Six Gator]

01:23 PM on 04/11/2011

yeah, they're all just a bunch of pin cushions anyway!

[thunder405]

04:01 AM on 04/27/2011

lose, hipprocratic oath. p.s. you make a five year old I know sound intelligent. good luck in life. If you were an officer of the law, I would be a drug lord by now...good thing you dont have to take a hypocritical oath to post on this site.

[cheo]

11:28 PM on 04/09/2011

Every part of this scenario just feels wrong. The mother, the kid's behavior, the police spraying an EIGHT yr old (twice), and to top it off, mother & kid on national TV afterwards.

Knowing no more than I do about it, that's probably more than I'm qualified to say.....

[janis1]

07:17 PM on 04/09/2011

Nobody sees anything wrong with this?? The mother blames the police department! Last time I checked, the police department did not raise her child, she did. Her child is the way he is because of the way she raised him. If he has a mental disability then she should have taken the time to get him properly diagnosed and get the medication he needs. What is with parents today blaming other people for their own mistakes? If the child is THAT dangerous then he should not be in school at all, have somebody go to his house where he can continue to act that way in a setting that is not dangerous to others. Parents do not send their children to school to have other children create an environment like that. I do believe this kid deserves help and his mother may need support, but for now, a message to the mother: shame on you!

[Six Gator]

01:25 PM on 04/11/2011

in our world, nothing is our own fault, responsibility, or job...Not when there are others to blame!...Make the Cops take more classes, to deal with her sweet innocent monster of a kid. That's the ticket!

[thunder405]

04:07 AM on 04/27/2011

you do realize you are commenting on a post on hp? rationality is lost on most issues that involve rational thinking. Unless the thread topic is "Republicans beat African squirrels with decapitated Mexican-Asian heads and urinate on their oil-spilled remains", I doubt your reasonable expectations of law enforcement carry much weight with these folks.

[AG creative]

08:39 PM on 04/08/2011

How can you avoid this? Violent Minors Patrol?

Cops can't wait to beat, restrain, zap, shoot or kick and hit someone... but c'mon.

[Paul Robertson]

05:34 PM on 04/08/2011

What I want to know is when did we become so afraid of our children? I've seen so many people here posting in support of the police officers. How can anyone truly believe that a grade two child posed a threat to the officers. An eight year old lacks the size, strength, and coordination of an adult. If these big strong men were unable to physically master an eight year old, how can they hope to deal with adult criminals? And even if they honestly were scared of this child, where was the urgency? Why couldn't they have waited until he calmed down or wore himself out? Or until his mother arrived?

[AG creative]

08:40 PM on 04/08/2011

We're terrified of each other, our countrymen, our fellow human. Watch your local nightly news and I'm sure you can answer your own question.

[kareemachan]

02:27 PM on 04/08/2011

I'm truly amazed that there are so many child psychologists posting here today. One article, one video and voila! They know exactly what is wrong, why, and how to correct it. Saying things like "this kid has problems" - SO profound! Well, I do believe the school and the mother already know he had problems - that's why he was in the program for kids with behavioral problems. And despite all the expertise here (snark), things like that are not necessarily the fault of the mother. Extrapolating is part of human reasoning, but extrapolating on little or no actual data is just... baka.

That being said, when I first read the headline, my first thought was "I hope the kid doesn't have asthma or breathing problems." They could have endangered his life with the pepper spray. Should they have solved the problem this way? I dunno, I wasn't there. I do find it sad that two police officers couldn't deal with an 8-year old with a piece of wood, tho. I guess we should be glad they didn't see fit to use a taser on him in this day and age.

[pa30]

12:30 PM on 04/08/2011

I'm glad I don't have any kids in his class.The parents gave him those manners ,let them take care of him.

[kareemachan]

02:19 PM on 04/08/2011

I'm sorry you have kids.

[Haydee Jade]

08:26 PM on 04/07/2011

Does anyone remember if/when your teachers called home or sent a note home of you misbehaving in school and in the eyes of your parent(s), you were immediately guilty until proven innocent? My parents raised to know that when/if I misbehaved in public, I was telling the world I had no discipline/manners taught at home and therefore, they were unfit parents. This mother, parading her bundle of joy in from to the cameras, is a disgrace to parenting. Her son is a budding resident of state supervision. Kudos to the cops for pepper spraying the little terror!

[Maximilian Gough]

05:44 PM on 04/07/2011

Across the great country of the USA, police are becoming a detached mob from the general public, more and more a, US vs. them type of mentality. All of the various law enforcement agencies could use more training in how to be PEACE OFFICERS, instead of Police officers. I have heard of and seen of many situations where diplomacy and talking someone down should have been used instead of force ....this is an alarming and scary trend, which will continue to become worse over time. Police need more training on how to communicate and develop trust within the community and remember that most people are not criminals. When public programs are being cut, more individuals that may have some mental disorder are on the street, and they do not need to get hurt, because
they are having some sort of emotional issue. Once again, more extensive training and a change in this mob type of organization that U.S. law enforcement is becoming. On the other side of the coin, the child and mother involved here, need to understand that they can take classes, get therapy and learn how to have more emotional control. Even children at a very young age, can learn how to manage and control their emotions to some degree, with a little guidence, help and training.

[catrancher]

03:20 PM on 04/07/2011

Why does this child have behavioral problems?

[pattio66]

06:27 PM on 04/07/2011

because Mom lets him run the show, imo

[kareemachan]

02:19 PM on 04/08/2011

So glad for your posting, seeing as how you are obviously a child psychologist.

[DarkKarma]

02:06 PM on 04/07/2011

Certainly appears as if Mommy needs training in getting a job, getting off the public dole, and moving the burgers and fries away from her mouth !

Oink !

[donotbefat]

01:36 PM on 04/07/2011

The cops were in a no-win situation--darned if you do, and darned if you don't.

If they dared to touch him, to physically restrain him, to tackle him, or engaged in any other bodily contact, they would have been severely blasted for that. "These big-bad cops assaulting this poor little 2nd grader." Wouldn't the media and you bleeding-hearts and arm-chair psychology 'experts' have loved that!

Or, if the cops just "let him calm down in a vacant room" (as some so-called 'experts' here advise) and he had then poked himself with his pointy stick, or had jumped out a window, or whatever, then the cops would have been blamed for not doing anything to protect this little brat.

The cops used pepper spray which took care of the problem quickly and efficiently. One short spray, and he was down and out of commission in a hurry. End of problem. (For now, anyway.)

[PJsThreeDogLife]

01:15 PM on 04/07/2011

It's a natural progression, folks. We reward our "bad" adults with national coverage, and now we're going to reward our "bad" kids. This should never have been televised. I don't see any way that those cops could have won in this situation.

[Ktbu Lfu]

09:08 AM on 04/07/2011

I just love how this child was rewarded for his bad behavior by being able to make the talk show rounds. Looks like a candidate for a future MTV reality show.

[pattio66]

06:29 PM on 04/07/2011

once he's released from prison, that is...