Cops Completely Overreact, Handcuff And Interrogate 7-Year-Old For Hours For Allegedly Stealing Five Dollars

shutterstock_86474341I believe in strict discipline for children when they are in the wrong – but this is ridiculous. A 7-year-old Bronx boy spent 10 hours in handcuffs for allegedly stealing five dollars from a classmate.

There are two sides to every story, of course. The handcuffed boy, Wilson Reyes, claims that the five dollars was dropped on the ground and picked up by another student. That student told the New York Daily News that “Wilson and another boy approached him and both reached into his pocket before Wilson struck him in the face.”

Who knows what really happened here. Maybe Wilson is the bully this child claims he is. But I don’t care. I don’t think appropriate discipline tactics for stealing five dollars includes handcuffing a grade school-aged child  for 10 hours.

”Everything was done properly,” the cop source said. ”He was arrested for a robbery. He was taken to the precinct and put in the juvenile room. His parent was allowed to see him.”

Babying the boy wasn’t an option, the second police source added.

”He had to be handcuffed ”” he was a prisoner. If we didn’t handcuff him and he ran out the front door, then we would have had an escaped prisoner on our hands.”

The source said charges could not have been filed against a child 6 and under, but kids 7 to 17 can be charged as juveniles.

An “escaped prisoner on our hands.” Seriously? Call me crazy, but if that was my child I would flip out. It turns out his parents are flipping out – and suing the New York Police Department and New York City. For $250 million. Now I just think both sides are nuts.

I’m confused by this whole thing. I remember kids fighting when I was in school. I don’t ever remember cops being called. There has got to be more to this story. The school claims the altercation took place off school grounds. If that is true, why was held by the school for hours before police took him into the precinct? All charges against the boy were dropped a few weeks later. Apparently not soon enough to escape the wrath of litigious parents.

Both sides are so ridiculous – I don’t even know which one I’m on.

(photo: Alexander Rath/ Shutterstock.com)

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