Newly released body camera footage from the arrest of a 6-year-old girl at an Orlando school shows a policeman placing zip ties on the girl’s wrists as she begs to be let go.
A family attorney representing the Lucious and Emma Nixon Academy student released the footage Tuesday of the incident, which occurred in September 2019.
The footage, shared with NBC affiliate WESH in Orlando, shows officer Dennis Turner tying the 6-year-old’s wrists and shutting his cruiser door on her as she cries to be let loose.
“What are those for?” the kid cries as Turner reveals his zip ties.
“It’s for you,” the officer responds.
In another clip, the 6-year-old is seen begging Turner to release her as he sits her in his cruiser.
“Please let me go!” she pleads within the video. Turner closes the door on her shortly after.
Around that point and in an unrelated incident, Turner reportedly arrested another young child at that very same school.
A police report from Sept. 19 alleges that the young student who was restrained, kicked and punched three staff members at her school, and claims one among the staff members wished to press charges.
A PR representative for the Lucious and Emma Nixon Academy said the claims within the report were false.
“We care about the well-being of our students,” representative Sara Brady said within the statement. “The officer’s statements are inaccurate. We didn’t invite either student to be arrested neither did we would like to pursue criminal charges.”
In the clip, school authorities are often heard asking Turner if it had been necessary for him to put zip ties on the kid .
“Yes,” Turner says. “And if she were bigger, she would’ve been wearing regular handcuffs.”
Turner was working within the Orlando local department as a reserve officer, which meant he might be fired before a politician investigation concluded. He was fired on Sept. 23, days after stories of his arrests broke.
According to Orlando captain Orlando Rolón, officers are required to urge approval from the department before arresting children under 12 years old.
Rolón said he was left with “no choice” but to fireside Turner after the officer made his arrests without seeking approval.
