Mom's open letter to VPD officers who helped autistic son garners big response

A mother is reaching out on social media to thank the two Vancouver Police officers — identified only as Const. Karma and Const. Jackie — who helped her through a harrowing situation involving her son, who has autism.

Alexandra Samuel says last Wednesday her enraged 10-year-old tried to run into rush hour traffic on Burrard Street after stating he wanted to die.

• An open letter to the police officer who helped my autistic son

"I had to tackle him and hold him down," said Samuel. "He's big enough now that the only way I can keep him safe in these circumstances is to sit on him."

Samuel says it's not the first time she's had to physically restrain her son in public to stop him from hurting himself, and that normally people don't offer assistance because they don't know what to make of a woman wrestling with a boy.

But this time was different. 

"Suddenly I was aware there were two people looking over me and I looked up, and it was two women police officers who had stopped their car in the middle of traffic on Burrard Street with lights flashing," she said.

Samuel admits that at first she was slightly worried by the presence of police and how they might respond.

'Always been a little scared'

"We've never had a police encounter in the middle of a conflict like that ... and I've always been a little scared of that moment," she said. 

"They asked what was going on, and I said my son is autistic. As soon as I said this, their body language relaxed, and one of the officers said, 'how can I help?' It was a huge relief."

"This officer was really dialled in," recounted Samuel. "She got down to his level and spoke really quietly. And she offered him a sticker — I love that the VPD has stickers to offer kids. He swore at her ... and she just rolled with it."

"I was having a hard time holding him and getting my husband on the [phone], and she took hold of him in a very careful way. That, I think was the most amazing moment for me."

Samuel says in the past her son has run away because caregivers are leery that any attempts to restrain him could be misinterpreted. She says the two police officers struck the perfect balance of safeguarding her son and making sure the situation didn't escalate. They also stayed until Samuel's husband arrived to help.

'Officers we want out there for our kids'

Samuel's blog post describing the incident is being praised and shared widely. She says she wrote it in part to thank Constables Karma and Jackie and to share how they handled the situation.

"I feel like that's the kind of officers we want out there for kids. You don't have to be autistic to have a meltdown like that. There are lots of parents who have these moments of struggle," she said.

"I think it's good for police to have a model for what an appropriate intervention looks like."

The VPD told CBC News the two officers would not be speaking publicly about the incident. 

"We are alive to the significant impact that can result from VPD members coming into contact with persons in crisis," said the VPD in a statement.

"The VPD is committed to a culture in which persons living with a mental illness [or a developmental disability] will be treated with respect and compassion, including during times of crisis."

With files from Tina Lovgreen