Florida Mother Files Lawsuit Over Of 8-Year-Old Boy’s Traumatic Arrest
A Florida mother is taking legal action and filing a lawsuit after her 8-year-old son was arrested at school. The traumatic arrest was captured on camera and has since gone viral. The mother, Bianca Digennaro is suing the Monroe County School District, three officers, and the city of Key West for the December 14, 2018 incident.
Digennerao claims officials violated her son’s Fourth and 14th Amendment rights. Digennero’s attorney, Ben Crump, who’s also represented the families of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor, shared the now-viral footage — which shows the child crying while being handcuffed for allegedly punching a teacher in the chest after he refusing to “sit properly.” The incident escalated after the teacher used “her hands to forcibly move him.”
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After the child was detained, officers took him to a precinct to fingerprint him, take DNA, book him on a felony, and sit him in a jail cell for several minutes. Reports say the felony battery charge was withdrawn nine months after his arrest. Crump adds that the child, who is three and a half feet tall, and 64 pounds, had an IEP [Individualized Education Program] in place because his disabilities, which include ADHD, anxiety, depression, and severe Oppositional Defiance Disorder.
Reacting to the suit, Key West Police Chief Sean T. Brandenburg continues to defend his officers’ actions, insisting there was no wrongdoing. He says, “Based on the report, standard operating procedures were followed.”
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Press play above and below to view the shocking footage, and hear from the mother, then leave us your thoughts in a comment via Yappa after
Unbelievable!! @KWPOLICE used “scared straight” tactics on 8yo boy with special needs. He's 3.5 ft tall and 64 lbs, but they thought it was appropriate to handcuff and transport him to an adult prison for processing!! He was so small the cuffs fell off his wrists! pic.twitter.com/iSTlXdKas6
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) August 10, 2020