Video shows police handcuffing 5-year-old

Lawyer releases tape of incident involving unruly Fla. girl

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Handcuffed
April 25: Florida police handcuff a 5-year-old kindergarten student who punched an assistant principal. NBC's Kerry Sanders reports.

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April 25: Pinellas County School District Superintendant Clayton Wilcox and Attorney John Trevena talk to "Today" show anchor Matt Lauer about the 5-year-old girl who was handcuffed.

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updated 8:34 a.m. ET April 25, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A 5-year-old girl was handcuffed by police after she tore papers off a bulletin board and punched an assistant principal in kindergarten class, according to a video released by a lawyer for the child’s mother.

The 30-minute tape shows the child appearing to calm down before three officers pinned her arms behind her back and put on handcuffs as she screamed, “No!”

The camera was rolling March 14 as part of a classroom self-improvement exercise at Fairmount Park Elementary, attorney John Trevena said.

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Trevena, who provided the tape to the media this week, said he got it from police.

“The image itself will be seared into people’s minds when you have three police officers bending a child over a table and forcibly handcuffing her,” said Trevena, who represents the girl’s mother, Inga Akins.

Police spokesman Bill Proffitt said an investigation into the matter would be complete in about two weeks and the findings would be made public.