She is placed under arrest. You read that right. A fifth-grader at a school in St. Joseph, Mo., was arrested — as in placed in handcuffs, taken down to the station for booking, that sort of thing — after a cellphone video went viral that showed the child pulling another girl’s hair and hitting and kicking her .
Here is the raw footage circulated by LiveLeak:
https://youtu.be/YfC_kyUOkYU
It may just be me, but it appears that the two girls — the “victim” and the “aggressor” — are friends, and that if the child in purple is guilty of anything it is rough play. This definitely warrants disciplinary action, and maybe even a suspension, but arrest? A rap sheet? For an 11-year-old?
According to Oklahoma station KFOR, the bully is looking at criminal assault charges for the attack, which occurred on an elementary school playground.
The school district confirmed with KSHB that the student in question was arrested for assault.
The school district says the incident happened after the school day had ended.
The district in which this incident occurred has released a statement that reads:
The St. Joseph School District does not condone this type of behavior no matter when it occurs.… It is important that we partner with parents and community members to prevent bullying and fighting no matter what time it occurs. One of our district priorities is to keep our students safe and educate them with programs designed to eradicate bullying.
According to KSHB, the district is trying to determine what action, if any, should be taken with regard to the other children involved.
