Police swoop to cuff naughty girl, five

POLICE officers in the United States are facing legal action after they handcuffed a five-year-old girl.

They were called to a school in St Petersburg, Florida, after the girl misbehaved in kindergarten. Teachers were unable to calm her down after she threw a violent tantrum.

The incident was caught on a video camera which was in the classroom as part of a self-improvement exercise. It shows the tantrum starting when the girl refused to take part in a maths lesson. She ripped papers off a bulletin board and punched whoever tried to calm her down.

The child’s mother was contacted, but was unable to pick up the girl for at least an hour - so teachers called in the police.

Three officers handcuffed the screaming girl by pinning her arms behind her back. They then drove her to her mother in the back of a police car.

A lawyer for the girl’s mother has threatened to sue, describing the episode as “incomprehensible”.