On Monday, September 18, the family of a Florida girl who was detained at school when she was 6 years old filed a complaint.
According to court documents obtained by Reason, the complaint names the city of Orlando and a number of law enforcement officers as defendants in this case for the "terrorizing" arrest of Kaia Rolle at Lucious & Emma Nixon Academy Charter School back in 2019.
It claims Dennis Turner and Sergio Ramos, two officers with the Orlando Police Department, "had no probable cause" and "used excessive force" when they handcuffed the kid and led her out of the structure. According to the lawsuit, she was arrested after throwing a fit in class because of her sleep apnea, a condition the school was aware of and was willing to address.
Rolle can be seen sobbing and screaming for assistance in the incident video as the officer places Rolle's wrist in handcuffs.
She remarked, "I don't want to ride in the police car.
One of the officers asked, "You don't want to?"
She screamed, "No, please!" "Please give me another chance."
"Please, let me go!" she pleaded as the policemen seated her in the back of the police car. The kindergartener carried on.
When she arrived at the juvenile detention facility, she was fingerprinted and required a step stool to take her mugshot, according to the lawsuit. The misdemeanor battery allegation against her was later withdrawn. Turner was let go as well.
Meralyn Kirkland spoke candidly about her granddaughter's long-lasting effects from the arrest in a 2021 interview with Insider. She claimed that she was having difficulty in school and had been given a PTSD diagnosis.
Kirkland told the newspaper, "They have destroyed her life for something that was entirely avoidable." "She's still a loving child, but not as loving and fun as she used to be. She used to see the positive side of everything and nothing could ever depress her, but now she had to pull herself out of sadness.
Rolle's past and present medical bills, along with her pain and suffering, are being sought after in the complaint. The family is requesting that the state raise the age requirement for arrests to 12 years old, according to WESH 2. Children under the age of seven cannot currently be held in custody due to the Kaia Rolle Act.
According to local press, Rolle stated, "I like my law as it is now, but, like Grandma said, I want it to be at 12 so that me and other kids can be protected."