Newly released body camera footage from the arrest of a 6-year-old girl at an Orlando school shows an officer 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 on 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 closing his squad car door on her as she cries to be set free.
“What are those for?” the child cries as Turner reveals his zip ties.
“It’s for you,” the officer responds.
In another clip, the student is seen begging Turner to release her as he sits her in his squad car.
“Please let me go!” she pleads in the video. Turner closes the door on her shortly after that.
Around that time and in an unrelated incident, Turner reportedly arrested another young child at that same school.
A police report from September 19 alleges the student who was restrained kicked and punched three staff members at her school, and claims one of the staff members wished to press charges.
A public relations representative for the Lucious and Emma Nixon Academy said the claims in the report were false.
“We care about the well-being of our students,” representative Sara Brady said in the statement. “The officer’s statements are inaccurate. We did not ask for either student to be arrested neither did we want to pursue criminal charges.”
In the clip, school authorities can be heard asking Turner if it was necessary for him to place zip ties on the child.
“Yes,” Turner says. “And if she were bigger, she would’ve been wearing regular handcuffs.”
Turner was working in the Orlando Police Department as a reserve officer, which meant he could be fired before an official investigation concluded. He was fired on September 23, days after stories of his arrests broke.
According to Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolón, officers are required to get approval from the department prior to arresting children under 12 years old.
Rolón said he was left with “no choice” but to fire Turner after the officer made his arrests without seeking approval.