LAKEWOOD, Colo.—Police in suburban Denver are defending their use of pepper spray on an 8-year-old boy they say was throwing a violent tantrum at school.
Denver’s KUSA-TV reported Tuesday that the boy had allegedly been spitting and cursing at teachers Feb. 22 at Glennon Heights Elementary in Lakewood.
He was also trying to allegedly stab them with wood trim he had broken off the walls.
Police said they pepper sprayed the boy twice after he refused to drop the wood and then handcuffed him.
His mother said police had been called about her son twice before and should have handled the situation differently.
Police said it the safest option under the circumstances.
The boy has been transferred to a school for children with behavioral problems.
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Information from: KUSA-TV,
