‘WAS THIS NECESSARY?’

Video: Cop Cuffed, Pinned, Taunted 7-Year-Old Autistic Boy

The school resource officer allegedly got physical because the child spit on the floor of a quiet room.

A disturbing video shows a North Carolina officer handcuffing a 7-year-old autistic boy, pinning him to the floor, and taunting him—allegedly all because he spit on the floor of a safe room at school. “Have you ever heard the term ‘babysitter’?” Officer Michael Fattaleh told the child while pressing his knees into his back. “I take that term literally, my friend.” As The News & Observer reported, the cop also threatened to arrest the child. “Was this necessary?” the mother said when she arrived at Pressly Alternative in Statesville. “How do you charge a special needs child with assault?” The 38-minute video is now evidence in a federal lawsuit filed Friday by the family. Fattaleh has since resigned from the force, and his attorney says a city investigation of the incident did not result in charges.