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Video caputures girl's tantrum, handcuffing
A video made by a St. Petersburg elementary school shows how teachers handled the 5-year-old's outburst and reaction by police.
By THOMAS C. TOBIN
Published April 21, 2005
A video camera was rolling March 14 at Fairmount Park Elementary School in St. Petersburg, where a 5-year-old kindergartener's tantrum escalated to an arrest. The situation culminated in city police handcuffing the girl and placing her in the back of a cruiser. Her mother later was allowed to take her home.
The mother's attorney acquired the tape and released it this week to the St. Petersburg Times. It shows officers moving to handcuff the girl during a brief period when she was sitting quietly in a chair. It shows educators, including assistant principal Nicole Dibenedetto, taking pains for about 30 minutes to gain the girl's cooperation. Why does the tape exist? Because the girl's teacher was videotaping her classroom as a self-improvement tool to be viewed later. When the girl began to act out, educators kept the camera on. They also brought it to Dibenedetto's office to tape the girl's behavior there.
 Click for video from the kindergarten classroom
Click for video from the assistant principal's office and arrival of the police
[Last modified April 21, 2005, 18:52:14]
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