A shocking video captured the moment a 10-year-old Florida boy was handcuffed and marched into police custody after he allegedly threatened to kill his classmates with a gun.
Micah Swinnie was arrested and booked on a felony charge of making a written threat to kill after he left a ‘list of people who I’m gunna kill’ on his desk at Pride Elementary in Deltona, on Wednesday, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office announced.
Swinnie also wrote a message in permanent marker on a whiteboard about bringing a gun to school, police said.
A clip posted by the sheriff’s office showed Swinnie, dressed in black pants, a gray t-shirt, and sneakers, making his way out of an officer’s vehicle with his hands restrained behind his back.
One officer guided him into the station while another stated: ‘Alright man, we’re gonna head straight over to the gates.’
Swinnie replied, but what he said was unclear.
Once inside the station, the boy was ushered into a large cell before officers locked it behind him.
A deputy told him: ‘When we’re ready for you, we’ll bring you out, OK?’
Micah Swinnie, 10, was arrested by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday after he allegedly threatened to kill his classmates at Pride Elementary in Deltona, Florida
The sheriff’s office posted a video of him being escorted inside the police station in handcuffs
‘OK,’ Swinnie responded as he looked toward the ground.
He then walked over to the bench inside the cell and sat down, staring straight ahead.
According to the sheriff’s office, when asked about the alleged threat he made, Swinnie said ‘he didn’t mean it.’
Parents of the students who were included on the list were notified.
Meanwhile, Swinnie’s parents ‘indicated he does not have access to any firearms,’ but the department was not taking any chances.
‘That doesn’t change the consequences of his actions,’ the sheriff’s office said.
‘This is another reminder to talk to your kids and teach them this lesson before they learn it in the juvenile justice system.’
The video, which has since gone viral online, created widespread reaction, with many believing the boy should face consequences for his alleged actions, and others who think he should not have been arrested or filmed.
Swinnie was arrested and booked on a felony charge of making a written threat to kill after he left a ‘list of people who I’m gunna kill’ on his desk at the school
He also wrote a message in permanent marker on a whiteboard about bringing a gun to school, police said
‘I support this 100%,’ a Facebook user commented under the clip.
‘Once kids learn their actions have consequences they might actually be productive citizens in the future,’ another said.
Someone else chimed in: ‘Good !!!! Show these kids their words and intentions MATTER! Regardless of if “they were being serious of not”.
‘This is so concerning and absolutely the right call to provide him with consequences.’
One added: ‘Keep him overnight. Really drive it home.’
Others were not at all thrilled by the video, with one calling it ‘wrong’ and another saying it’s ‘diabolical.’
‘This just feels wrong filming a 10 year old kid. Of course, he needs to be punished and held accountable but there are other ways to do it in my opinion,’ a user posted.
Swinnie, seen sitting inside a jail cell, told police ‘he didn’t mean it.’ Under Florida law, police can arrest children seven and older, and they can film, picture and name them if they are charged with a felony
Another commenter wrote: ‘I thought we didn’t film kids.’
‘His face should be blurred out. Diabolical, wrote another.
In the state of Florida, children aged seven and older can be arrested by police officers, according to The Kaia Rolle Act.
The law was set in place after a six-year-old girl was seen being hauled out of her school in handcuffs in 2020, sparking controversy across the nation.
Law enforcement in the Sunshine State can also record and release a child’s name, arrest report or booking photo if they are charged with a felony under Florida Statute 985.04.
