10-year-old boy with autism arrested after kicking teacher in Florida

John Benjamin Haygood, a 10-year-old boy from Florida with autism, was arrested by police after he kicked a teacher at his elementary school. Haygood reportedly spent the night behind bars in juvenile jail before he was released to his mother the next day.

In a cellphone video taken by his mom Wednesday, you can see Haygood in handcuffs being taken away by officers with the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s office.

“Does he have the same rights as an adult?” his mother Luanne Haygood says in the video. She then advises the officers that her son has autism.

When police start to grab Haygood, he starts to cry and says, “I don’t want to be touched. I don’t want to be touched. I don’t want to be touched.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: When police start to grab Haygood, he starts to cry and says, "I don't want to be touched. I don't want to be touched. I don't want to be touched."

Haygood is accused of battery on a school employee, which is considered a felony in the United States. Police say Haygood hit, kicked and scratched the employee. The alleged incident happened last November, and Haygood has been suspended since, and asked to do his schooling from home.

It was his first day back to school when he was arrested. He had returned for some “standard” testing.

“It has been district procedure to invite students in to take the Florida Standards Assessment. The district would not invite someone to one of our campuses for the sole purpose to arrest,” Ken Kenworthy, superintendent of the Okeechobee County School District said in an email.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It has been district procedure to invite students in to take the Florida Standards Assessment. The district would not invite someone to one of our campuses for the sole purpose to arrest," Ken Kenworthy, superintendent of the Okeechobee County School District said in an email.

Haygood’s mother told News Channel 5 that her son kicked the teacher because he didn’t feel safe. “It was because of his autism that spurred this incident. And he was arrested for that,” said Luanne.

She told the local news station that she admits her son is known to have a violent past, but she doesn’t think it justifies arresting a 10-year-old boy with a disability.

She wants the school district and law enforcement to be better equipped to handle students with special needs. Asked why the boy was arrested on the first day he was back at school to get testing, officials at the school district did not answer directly but said it was “unexpected” for them.

“The district is unable to provide specific information as to both current and past incidents regarding this or any other student due to educational laws and rules,” the school district said in an email statement.

The sheriff’s office told Global News the reason the arrest happened several months after the incident is because the school employee decided to press charges. The employee had scratches and marks that were photo-documented. The request to pursue criminal charges was then sent for review and approval to the State Attorney’s office.

Once approved, the sheriff’s office said they moved forward with the arrest, which was on Haygood’s first day back at school.