Black boy, 12, with autism is cuffed and CONCUSSED by police officers in police outreach program

A Virginia woman is speaking out after she claims her 12-year-old autistic son was concussed by a police officer at a local tennis program meant to foster a positive relationship with police. 

Shelia Jackson signed her young son, Curtis Hayes, up for an after-school tennis program run by the Richmond Police Athletic League. 

Her uncle was a police officer and she wanted her son, who lives with autism, to ‘have a positive view of police officers and not all the negativity he sees on TV,’ as she put it.

On November 3, however, Jackson showed up at the tennis courts at Virginia Commonwealth University to see Curtis on the ground and in handcuffs. 

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A Virginia woman is speaking out after she claims her 12-year-old autistic son Curtis Hayes (pictured) was concussed by a police officer at a local tennis program meant to foster a positive relationship with police

She said they ended up having to go to the university’s emergency room, where her son was diagnosed with a concussion.  

She said the staff told her Curtis was becoming frustrated by his tennis serves and they asked him to practice to the side of everyone else. 

Jackson said Curtis told her that a female officer raised her voice at him and he began to walk away. 

 She believes that the officer may have seen this behavior as defiant, but Jackson says that her son ‘knows to try to self-regulate’ and that walking away was his way of doing that. 

However, as Jackson puts it, the officer may not have been aware of that and instead grabbed the 12-year-old. 

She said: ‘When I got here my son was handcuffed on the ground right behind where that fence is opened. There was an officer holding his head, there was an officer on his left leg, someone on his right leg, there was an officer on his right side kneeling holding his shoulders down and then there was another officer standing up.’

Richmond Police told Jackson that Curtis headbutted an officer when he was in their custody and they cuffed him thinking he would run away, according to CBS6. 

Shelia Jackson (pictured) signed her son up for an after-school tennis program run by the Richmond Police Athletic League

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On November 3, Jackson showed up at the tennis courts at Virginia Commonwealth University to see Curtis on the ground and in handcuffs

It was the handcuffs that made Jackson apoplectic, not understanding why a 12-year-old special needs child was treated that way.  

‘That is not how he should be dealt with, not only my son, anyone,’ she said. ‘Where is the training? Are you just going to the training and you’re not taking it in?’

She has both spoken to police officials and paid for a police report but the report had no description of the incident and no one has given her a satisfactory answer. 

The university’s police force said they responded to a call related to the incident but that neither the child nor his mother were there when they arrived. 

It was being put in handcuffs that made Jackson apoplectic, not understanding why a 12-year-old special needs child was treated that way

Shelia said that Curtis’ grades have gone down since the incident and her son can barely make it through the school day

Richmond Police said that there is an internal investigation into the incident but they did not provide any further details

Jackson says the incident has hurt Curtis’ well being, as he’s gone from having excellent grades in school to being unable to get through some school days.  

‘As soon as the concussion it’s like bam bam bam. I’m like ‘oh my gosh’ it’s something every day,’ Jackson said.

Richmond Police said that there is an internal investigation into the incident but they did not provide any further details.