When a Milledgeville Police Department officer attempted to calm Johnson down, the child “pulled away and actively began resisting and fighting with me,” reported the cop. As a result, the officer decided to handcuff the girl “for her safety as well as others safety in the area.”

In the face of criticism from Johnson’s parents, police brass defended the patrolman’s decision to handcuff the girl, citing department policy that requires all detainees to be handcuffed while being driven in a squad car.

According to the police report, an officer “made six attempts” to contact Salecia’s mother before he transported her to the police department, where the child was later released into her aunt’s custody.

Johnson was charged with simple battery of a school teacher, damage to property, and unruly juvenile. The child is pictured above in a screen grab from a TV report in which she was interviewed along with family members.