7-Year-Old Boy Handcuffed By Police After Allegedly Attacking Teacher

A seven-year-old boy was arrested on school grounds Friday after he allegedly attacked his teacher, police said.

Mercy Álvarez's child, whose name remains unidentified, was taken to Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami for a mental health evaluation after physically assaulting his teacher, the Miami-Herald reported. This was the second time in recent months where the school has called the police over her son's behavior.

"This is police abuse; a whim of the officer because my son was calm when they came to look for him," Álvarez told el Nuevo Herald. "The principal, the counselor, and two other people tried to prevent that action and the officer took the child anyway."

A teacher pulled Álvarez's son from the cafeteria because he was playing with his food, but he allegedly hit the woman in response. The boy "attacked the teacher by repeatedly punching her on her back in the hallway," according to WSVN. Due to the child's recent behavior, school officials reportedly initiated Baker Act proceedings, a Florida law that allows for mentally ill persons to be admitted into medical facility against their will.

Video of the arrest incident was shared by the mother's friend Friday on Facebook. The young boy can be seen exiting the police car handcuffed as a female officer escorts him into the hospital. What the video doesn't show is the child being escorted by police off of school grounds.

"I had to see my seven-year-old son handcuffed by a school officer, putting charges of Baker Act unfairly," Álvarez wrote on Facebook. "I've uncovered a Pandora's box by screaming this injustice hundreds of children like mine have been victims of the same procedure, but I want that officer to keep it in mind that he will never hurt any child in this way."

"The parents who have gone through the same thing can only recommend that they do not shut up. A 7-Year-old doesn't deserve to live a situation like this," the mother added.

Ian Moffett, the chief of the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department, stood by the unit's decision to handcuff and arrest the child.

"The manner in which he was transported to the receiving facility was done in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures," Moffett told WPLG. "Our Professional Compliance Unit is thoroughly reviewing this incident."