Police shackle and handcuff 5-year-old throwing a tantrum

Five-year-old Connor Ruiz, a special needs student in Philadelphia, New York, has a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day at school — and he ended up shackled and handcuffed in a police car as a result.

After the boy began "screaming, kicking, punching and biting" in class, school officials called his parents and the state police. When the police arrived before the parents, they cuffed, shackled, and took Connor away for a psychiatric evaluation. According to his mother, the doctor Connor met said he was just throwing a bad tantrum.

Connor's parents found marks on his wrists from the cuffs, and they plan to sue the school. "An officer told me they had to handcuff his wrists and ankles for their safety," said Connor's mom, Chelsea Ruiz. "I told him that was ridiculous. How could someone fear for their safety when it comes to a small, 5-year-old child?"

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