By the time officers came to arrest little Kaia Rolle, she had already calmed down and was listening to a school employee read her a story.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, officers decided to restrain her with zip ties around her wrists anyway, prompting the 6-year-old to burst into tears, pleading for help.
Recently released body camera footage shows the heartbreaking moment from the incident which occurred in September.
“No … no, don’t put handcuffs on!” Kaia could be heard pleading. “Help me, help me, please.”
Kaia was ultimately placed in the back of a police SUV before being taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center.
The incident all started when Kaia threw a tantrum, kicking and punching three school employees at the Lucious and Emma Nixon Academy, which somehow led to her being arrested and accused of misdemeanor battery.
Meralyn Kirkland, Kaia’s grandmother, said that Kaia was lashing out due to lack of sleep, as a result of her sleep apnea.
One of the officers involved in the arrest, Dennis Turner, who was also involved in the arrest of another 6-year-old, was ultimately fired after widespread outrage swept the community.
Although no school employees attempted to stop the arrest, one employee could be heard questioning if the use of the restraints were necessary.
“Yes,” Turner could be heard quipping. “If she was bigger, she would have been wearing regular handcuffs.”
Kaia ended up being fully processed at the juvenile center and even had her mugshot and fingerprints taken.
Since the incident, she has been placed in a private school after she refused to go to a school where an officer would be on campus, her grandmother told the Sentinel.