‘It was horrific for us:’ Family of 6-year-old girl arrested sues city of Orlando, officers

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tuesday marks four years since a 6-year-old Orlando girl was arrested after her family said she had a tantrum in her classroom.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

The body cam video received national attention, showing Kaia Rolle being arrested for misdemeanor battery and escorted in tears to the back of a patrol car by Orlando police officers.

Rolle’s family announced Monday in a news conference they plan to move forward with legal action—while also asking for more change at the state level.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

The family filed an amended complaint in their lawsuit against the city of Orlando, former Chief Orlando Rolon and officers involved in the arrest. The lawsuit alleges 6-year-old Kaia Rolle’s civil rights were violated, that she was falsely arrested in September 2019 and that the officers used excessive force.

“It was horrific for us,” said Meralyn Kirkland, Kaia’s grandmother.

Read: Walt Disney World releases newly designed Florida license plate benefiting Make-A-Wish

In amended portion of the suit, the family alleges the city of Orlando’s practices and policies, including the hiring and training of these officers, allowed for Kaia’s arrest.

“I’ve never seen a child with her hands bound at the age of six, walked out by a man three times the size of her,” said the family’s lawyer, Bobby DiCello.

School Resource Officer Dennis Turner was terminated by Orlando Police in September 2019, shortly after Kaia’s arrest.

Read: Another inmate dead at Duval County Jail, found unresponsive in his cell after 10 days in custody

Kirkland said Kaia still struggles emotionally from the impacts of the arrest.

“Kaia is no longer the Kaia I know. But Kaia is a fighter,” Kirkland said.

The family along with the Southern Poverty Law Center is asking the Florida legislators to amend the law in the child’s name, Kaia Rolle Act.

In 2021, the law took effect, prohibiting a child younger than 7 years old from being arrested or charged with a violation of law, with the exception of a forcible felony.

Read: Longtime Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens dead at 66

The family says the age limit should be raised to at least 14.

“Life has not yet given them the experiences to form the criminal intent or process the mental capacity and competency to have the same level of copiability,” said Bacardi Jackson, interim deputy legal director for children’s rights at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

According to data from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, 2,085 children under the age of 12 were detained in Florida last fiscal year. It made up about 5 percent of juvenile arrests.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Kirkland says the law in her granddaughter’s name no longer protects her. She aged-out of the law just months after it passed.

“If there is any way I can prevent even a handful, one other child, from suffering what Kaia suffered, one other family from what our family endured, I would feel good about it,” Kirkland said.

Action News Jax’s sister station WFTV reached out to the City of Orlando for comment, but the city declined, citing pending litigation.

CLICK HERE to read the original article by WFTV.

Read: Two postal workers robbed at gunpoint in two separate Jacksonville neighborhoods

Video: ‘It was horrific for us’: Family of 6-year-old girl arrested sues city of Orlando, officers Tuesday marks four years since a 6-year-old Orlando girl was arrested after her family said she had a tantrum in her classroom. (Ashlyn Webb, WFTV.com)

Read: Miscommunications, leadership change allowed all-Black elementary assembly to happen, documents show

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.