Devin Shepherd claimed he was the victim of a playground bully before he was charged with battery and criminal mischief.
The parents of a 9-year-old boy with autism who was taken into custody in August after fighting another student and striking a teacher are sharing their side of the story after the controversial arrest.
Cops were called after fourth grader Devin Shepherd got into a fight with a classmate during recess at Needham Elementary School in Franklin, Ind. When a teacher intervened, the boy hit her. The boy’s father says it was an accident.
The boy's father was recording as his son was placed in handcuffs while sobbing.
“Just chill out buddy," the boy's father, Ronnie Shepherd, tells his son in the video. "You're leaving with me. I promise you.”
The boy could not stop crying as he was led out of the elementary school. He was taken to a police car and the officer put him in the front seat.
“It was very disturbing," Shepherd told Inside Edition. "I kept my cool because I was at a school."
Devin says the fight on the school playground was triggered after a classmate started bullying him.
Devin was charged with battery and criminal mischief. The local police department says that officers displayed proper procedure when they detained the boy.
"Officers involved followed both department and juvenile arrest protocol," the department said in a statement.
But the boy's family claimed cops went too far.
Devin was held for 20 minutes before being released, and all charges have since been dropped.
The school said in statement that their faculty handled the situation calmly and with compassion.
