City Of Flint, Business Group Settle Lawsuit Over 7 Year-Old Boy's Handcuffing
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The city of Flint and a business group have agreed to pay $40,000 to settle a lawsuit over the handcuffing of a 7-year-old boy at an after-school program in 2015.
The boy, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, had kicked a cart and was running on bleachers when Flint police were called. His hands were cuffed behind his back and remained that way for more than an hour because the officer didn't have a key, according to the lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan on behalf of the boy and his mother.
"What happened ... is highly alarming and we don't want any other child in Flint to have a similar experience," Mark Fancher, of the ACLU, said Tuesday.
Flint and the Flint & Genesee Chamber of Commerce are each paying $20,000, according to a settlement filed last week in federal court. The business group sponsored the after-school program.
Physical restraints will be used only as a last resort and Flint police officers will be encouraged to not get involved in school disciplinary issues, the ACLU said.