By Ben Waldron
The family of a 7-year-oldNew Yorkboy is suing police and the city for $250 million, saying cops handcuffed and interrogated the boy for ten hours after a scuffle over lunch money at school.
Wilson Reyes, a student atPublic School114 in the Bronx reportedly got into a fight with a fellow student in December after he was accused of taking $5 of lunch money that had fallen on the ground in front of him. Responding to a complaint of assault and robbery, the police were called and took the boy to thelocal police precinctwhere officers allegedly handcuffed and interrogated him for ten hours, according to the lawsuit.
"Imagine how I felt seeing my son in handcuffs," Wilson's mother,Frances Mendez, told the New York Post . "It was horrible. I couldn't believe what I was seeing," she said.
The claim, filed by family attorneyJack Yankowitz, accuses theNYPD, among other things, of false imprisonment, physical, verbal, emotional and psychological abuse, and deprivation of Reyes' constitutional rights.
Robbery charges against the boy were later dropped, and the NYPD, though it disputes the accusations in the suit, is investigating the incident.
"While the lawyer's claims are grossly untrue in many respects, including fabrication as to how long the child was held, the matter is nonetheless being reviewed by the department'sInternal Affairs Bureau," Deputy Commissioner Paul J. Browne told ABC News in an emailed statement.
New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio was critical of the NYPD in a statement posted on theNew York City Public Advocate's website.
"Seven-year-olds don't belong in handcuffs," he said. "As a parent, I wouldn't stand for this in one of my kids' schools. Our school system's over-reliance on the NYPD as a disciplinary tool traumatizes our young people, sows distrust in our communities and drains vital city resources away from responding to genuine crimes. This has to stop."
Calls placed to Public School 114 were not immediately returned. Also Read
Quoting Anonymous:Bet there is a LOT more to this story than is being reported. Mommy running to defend her jailbird kid. Happens way too often.
250 million is just as ridiculous as filing a lawsuit. This mom is justifying the fact that her son is at the very early stages of criminal behavior. It's a sad state of affairs when moms look to get paid for not raising their children right.
OMG the kid is 7 years old I can't believe he was handcuffed and interrogated for 10 hours. Yea he punch a kid in the face but that doesnt mean you treat him like a thug. It doesnt mean that the kid is going to be a jail bird when he grows up. If that was the case I would already be in jail and I'm not. I got into alot of fights as a kid and never was arrested. It doesnt mean he is a bad kid. Have a little compastion what if it was your kid who punch a fellow student. Would you sit there and say it was ok for the police to do that to your child.
Personal responsibility/ government rant
- PISCIS29
on Jan. 31, 2013 at 10:55 AM