A 9-year-old boy handcuffed during a school fight remained restrained en route to the hospital after he suffered an asthma attack -- and his mother, Ivory Williams, is upset.
Following the fight at Brownsville's P.S. 178 on May 5, school safety officers restrained Jaheim Williams for two hours and then took him to the hospital while he was still handcuffed, even after Williams, 28, asked cops to take off the shackles, reported the New York Daily News.
Instead, Williams said two cops from the 73rd Precinct took her and a handcuffed Jaheim to Brookdale Hospital where he was later treated and left.
Although Jaheim has been suspended eight times, his mother said that he has never been arrested, reported the News.
"They treated my little son like a criminal," Ivory Williams told the News. "All kids fight. You can't manhandle them like this."
Jaheim was put in handcuffs because "schools safety judged him to be a threat to himself and others," spokesperson for the Department of Education Margie Feinberg told the News. She also said that he was in cuffs for 20 minutes, not the two hours Williams said, reported the News.
Jaheim is the second New York City Public school student to be placed in cuffs this year. Queens student Alexa Gonzalez, 12, was arrested in February at her school for scribbling on a desk.
Local
In January, the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a class action lawsuit against the city for students' "wrongful arrests" and the "excessive use of force" by school safety officers and police officers.
Jaheim has since been suspended from school and will attend a hearing with his mother tomorrow, reported the News.
NBCNewYork did not receive an immediate comment from the New York City Police Department and the Department of Education.
