An internal investigation was opened within the Rochester, New York State police force after a heavy-handed intervention with a nine-year-old girl on Friday.
The City Police Department released images of this arrest during which the child was sprayed with irritant gas on Sunday.
On the videos, the girl can be seen running away from her home in the surrounding streets.
Quickly spotted by the police, she refuses to listen to them and to board a car patrol.
“I want my daddy. I’m not going anywhere. I want my dad. I won’t get in this car until I see my father, ”she yells at the officers.
“Stop or you’ll hurt yourself,” replies a constable.
At one point, a policewoman can be heard telling her that she is going to find her father, but that she has to get warm in the autopatrol while waiting.
The little girl refuses again and starts screaming again.
“At this point, pepper there,” then launches an agent just before the girl is sprayed.
Police Chief Andre Anderson told a press briefing Sunday morning that police intervened because the child was making suicidal comments.
“She had indicated that she wanted to kill herself and her mother,” he explained.
“I’m not here to tell you that it’s okay to pepper a nine-year-old girl. It’s not, ”added another police chief, Cynthia Herriott-Sullivan.
“It doesn’t represent who we are. We’re going to be actively working to make sure that stuff doesn’t happen again. ”
“The video makes it clear that we need to do more for our children and families,” Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said, also at the press briefing.
An internal investigation has been opened within the police department to understand the whole story, reports the WHAM television channel.
Quebec suicide prevention line
1-866-APPELLE (277-3553)
Kids Help Phone
1-800-668-6868
Tel-Youth
1-800-263-2266
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