Any parent can easily tell you about the worst tantrum their child ever had. Tantrums happen sometimes, typically because children haven't developed the maturity to deal with their frustrations in a calmer way. Kids have plenty of emotions, but they don't have the skills to manage them. Obviously, it's no reason to get the police involved.
However, that's exactly what happened when a 6-year-old girl named Kaia Rolle had an incident that led to her reportedly kicking a staff member at Lucious and Emma Nixon Academy. Assault is something that's hard to shrug off. But when you're dealing with someone who hasn't even reached double digits in age, it's more understandable. Kids often kick and hit when they don't get their way. As adults, it's our job to teach them healthier ways to process their emotions.
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Scaring them straight isn't one of the greatest solutions. Florida police officer Dennis Turner showed up at the school after the event took place. "OK, she's going to come with us now," he told the staff.
This story originally appeared on LittleThings in February 2020.
Officer Turner took out zip ties, which scared young Kaia. "No! Let me go! Don't put handcuffs on!" she said, according to the footage. "Help me!" But the adults didn't help Kaia. For the record, the officer used zip ties around her wrists because handcuffs wouldn't fit.
"If she was bigger she would have been in regular handcuffs," Officer Turner told the staff. He was more than prepared to deal with the arrest, as he had previously arrested a 7-year-old boy. Kaia was in hysterics the entire time, begging for a second chance.
No charges were filed against Kaia, but she did have her mugshot and fingerprints taken. While he seemed calm during the arrest, Officer Turner was fired after the incident went public. Supposedly, he needed permission from a watch commander before arresting anyone under the age of 12.
Chief Orlando Rolón released a statement after the footage went viral. "On behalf of myself and the entire Orlando Police Department, I apologize to the children involved and their families," he said. "As a grandfather of three children less than 11 years old, I can only imagine how traumatic this was for everyone involved."
"I wasn’t prepared for the emotions viewing that bodycam," Kaia's grandmother, Meralyn Kirkland, said to Fox 51. "What was most heartwrenching for me, on that clip you can hear and you can see Kaia begging for help." The footage is hard to watch, since it's obvious that Kaia didn't understand the weight of her actions.
All reports of assault should always be taken seriously, but by arresting Kaia at her school, it could lead to more trauma down the road. Kaia's grandmother didn't like the fact that they treated her granddaughter like a criminal. In her eyes, Kaia was just a "child going through a medical situation." She reportedly suffers from sleep issues.
Chief Rolón reportedly also changed the law after firing Officer Turner. Now the deputy police chief is required to approve the arrest of any child who's under 12 years old. But, hopefully, those situations won't crop up that much. There are better ways to handle incidents like these.
Curious about what to do if you're the parent of a child who acts up? Assault should always be taken seriously, but there are better ways to discipline and teach kids the proper ways to respond. The website Criminal Defense Lawyer states that "a juvenile can be charged with simple assault for injuring another person, threatening to or attempting to injure another person or even making another person afraid," but it likely shouldn't be the first point of action.
Parents or loved ones should talk to the child immediately after the incident and let them know why their actions were inappropriate. While the organization RAINN focuses more on sexual assault, it believes that taking the child aside to discuss what happened is crucial. From there, parents can figure out a disciplinary plan of action.
It's harrowing to see a 6-year-old being taken into a police car, but that's not the worst part of the footage. As a child, Kaia just needed some support from an adult to figure out what would happen next. However, every plea went unanswered. Just imagine how terrifying it is for a child to feel as if they destroyed their life.
There's also the fact that Kaia is a young black female. It's upsetting to think that the teachers may have been quick to call the cops due to her skin color, but racism may very well be at play. The call to the police was an overreaction by far. At the end of the day, she's only a child.
Verywell Family pointed out that there are many reasons why kids hit or kick. For one, they lack impulse control. When they lash out, they don't necessarily think about how their actions may affect other people. It's another reason why Kaia's video is tough to watch — she had no clue that a police officer would be taking her away.
"Hitting can also be used as a manipulation tool," the site states. "Sometimes kids hit in an attempt to get their way. A child who hits his mother when she says no may be hoping his aggression will change her mind." It also notes that certain medical conditions, like ADHD or oppositional defiant disorder, may make a child more likely to physically lash out.
Curious about Kaia? According to her grandmother, she has since switched schools and now has a therapy dog to help her out. She's reportedly still holding a bit of trauma from everything that happened with the police officer. Hopefully, she's on a better path and is surrounded by adults who are rooting for her to succeed.
