Excessive Force

A police officer who forcibly restrained a 14-year-old autistic boy who was playing in a public park is not entitled to qualified immunity on excessive force claims, the Ninth Circuit ruled. The officer had suspected the minor of using an “illegal inhalant,” but the boy was only playing with a piece of string.

SAN FRANCISCO – A police officer who forcibly restrained a 14-year-old autistic boy playing in a public park is not entitled to qualified immunity on excessive-force claims, the Ninth Circuit ruled. The officer had suspected the minor of using an “illegal inhalant,” but the boy was only playing with a piece of string.

Categories / Appeals, Civil Rights, Government, Health

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Excessive Force

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