Police Pepper Sprayed A Boy Age 8 For Anger. Right Or Wrong?
 

8-year-old Will Ripley of Lakewood, Colorado pepper sprayed for a tantrum in school. Will is a typical boy of age 8: likes comics, superheros, has a little dog, but he has a temper problem. His anger in school got him sprayed in the eyes. Now let me ask this: who among us has never lost their temper or got angry, even in school or ever? Plus who among us when angry ever got sprayed in the eyes? We have all gotten angry before (who doesn't), and high likely we never got sprayed in the eyes over it. Now let me ask you this: is it going too far to spray a boy of age 8 in the eyes with pepper spray by the police? I say YES. You don't treat children of that age like a harden criminal; you be suttle and be supportive. Let's say you...

Source: (NBC - referred by MSN homepage)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540...snhp&gt1=43001

This kid obviously has problems. They've called the police on him before and he continues to behave like a little idiot. Maybe getting some harsh punishment will fix his attitude a bit. Act like crazy person, you get treated like one. Simple.

"I was just looking for something sharp because they made me so mad." Yeah. That's normal.

its wrong too me, but hey the parents are to blame.

I wish they would've sprayed my brother a couple of times. He was the same way as a kid... and still now at the age of 21.

Cops aren't gonna just pepper spray a kid without just cause. They had to have a decent reason.

We had a neighbor who had a dog who got out and flat wouldn't let me get from my car. When my family hear me yelling (read: screaming like a little girl) at the dog, my mom came out side and it chased he back inside too. We called animal control and they sent a cop and the dog charged him. My dad said he drew a couple of times on the dog himself...but never fired, and he had good reason.

I see it as fair, it's just pepper spray.

At age 8 that kid is now looking like a criminal because of the course of action that was used. The kid is not yet in puberty for crying out loud. I still say that there is a better alternative.

Little prick deserved it. His mom is clearly oblivious to how terrible he is. Like Jester said, Police officers wouldn't spray a child without good goddamn reason.

To echo Stryker, with less tact, act like a little psycho sh*thead, get treated like one.

8 Year olds are cognizant of when they're doing something wrong. He knew he was doing stupid ****, and he's okay with it.

I had worst things done at age 8. Besides, that kid though deserved the pepper spray. He would have looked like a criminal even without the pepper spray. A kid wanting to stab someone do to anger problems is pretty criminal.

I agree with everyone here except for Ninja Turtles 25 Years.

And if the kid did have a sharp object to do just that, that's just cause to pepper spray the brat!

Exactamundo.

this thread makes me happy:)
back on topic.
Kid was asking for it. The alternative which would be to get the sh*t beaten out of him, or tasered isn't any better. In a perfect world they would have talked him out of it, but this world isn't perfect and neither is that kid or the officers so although some may disagree with the way things turned out, they could have been much worse. I.E the kid stabs a classmate in the throat or eye.

Police would never do somthing like that without good reason they should never have banned the cane in schools. Teachers can't do a thing anymore so if the cops where called in it has to be for a reason.

It was the right thing to do

NT25Years, you aren't reporting the whole story. I saw this on The Today Show, and to me, the kid was in the wrong. He was exhibiting violent behavior and was going to harm someone. If the kid charged the police and didn't do what they told him to do, they had every right to pepper spray him. At any age, you should be held accountable for your actions. The mother is oblivious because parents today don't want to be held accountable for their children. My mom has seen this where she works. When I was younger and did something wrong, my parents disciplined me for it. If I did wrong at school, I knew I would get held accountable for it there and at home.

Parents these days don't want to be parents. They want to blame everyone else for what their kids do instead of blaming the kid or themselves. The police were in the right. This kid needs to be taken out of school and locked up, especially since he did this at other times.

the kid does not need to be locked up, he needs help.

he need psycological and/or medical help, a teacher that understand his needs and can be there during school to make sure he can handle his rage outbust properly. And it seems like his mother have to take his anger problms seriously, or he'll have problems functioning in society.

Pepperspay was necessary this time, but what bout five years?

Yeah, that's what I was wondering. The kid himself said it's who I am, which is kinda scary. If you're having the police called in and they have to use pepper spray to subdue you AT 8, then what's gonna happen when he is 15, 16 or even older?

Kiwamu, I wasn't talking about jail. I was talking about being locked up in a psych ward or getting anger management counseling. I should've been more specific. And I agree that if this continues, this kid will be a danger to society.

The cops were in the right.