The parents of a 5-year-old boy and pupil of East Silver Spring Elementary School, Maryland, in the United States have been awarded $275,000 in a settlement.
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the undisclosed boy after being abused by two police officers Dionne Holliday and Kevin Christmon on January 14, 2020.
Holliday and Christmon threatened to beat the boy and criticised him for playing truancy, but, camera footage showed they called him a โshepherd of the devil.โ
According to the report, one of the officers pulled out his handcuffs and closed one of the loops around the childโs right wrist, and said โthese will be your best friend when youโre older.โ
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The law enforcement agents defended their actions, and Christmon said โI really do think that my actions were appropriate at the time.โ
However, the details of the extended internal investigation at the Montgomery County Police Department were revealed when the district paid out $275,000 in a settlement after the incident at East Silver Spring Elementary School in Maryland.
Officers Dionne Holliday and Kevin Christmon were seen holding down the crying child to a chair and shouting abuse such as โI hope your momma let me beat youโ in the body camera footage that went viral.
The aftermath of the investigation led to the suspension of both American cops. Holliday was suspended for four weeks while Christmon was suspended for two weeks.
Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando said the video of the boy at East Silver Spring Elementary School, pictured, โmade me sick.โ
The boyโs mother, Shanta Grant, came to the school that day and was eventually awarded $275,000 in a settlement after filing a lawsuit.
Grantโs lawyers, Matthew Bennett and James Papirmeister said the video showed the officers treating her son โas if he were a hardened criminal.โ
They said how the boy was treated was โway past the line of emotional child abuse.โ
The police department and the countyโs public school system declined to address the incident in detail, citing the motherโs pending lawsuit. But the school system issued a statement describing the video as โextremely difficultโ to watch.
โThere is no excuse for adults to ever speak to or threaten a child in this way,โ the school system said. โAs parents and grandparents, we know that when families send their children to school, they expect that the staff will care for them, keep them safe and use appropriate intervention processes when needed.โ
According to reports, the settlement money will be placed in a trust fund, which the child will be able to access when he turns 18.