Shocking moment an eight-year-old boy with learning difficulties who had wandered away from school is left screaming in pain after being HANDCUFFED by deputies in California after they found him

An 8-year-old boy was handcuffed by a Butte County Sheriff's Deputy Thursday after walking away from Chapman Elementary School.

"I was torn up," said Meagan Ramey, the boy's mother. "It broke my heart. I started crying, and I'm going to start crying again."

Ramsey said her son is mentally disabled. She said he often walks off and the principal follows at a distance behind him.

"He'll start walking off campus, the principal, we've talked about it several times," said Ramey.

This time, he was spotted by law enforcement.

"When they saw a young man dart across 20th street and when he got to the other side of the road, they noted that he appeared to be confused and anxious and that caused them concern," said Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea.

As deputies approached the boy, he walked away.

"As they were following him they became more concerned that he might dart into traffic," said Honea. "So, at one point one of the deputies took him and restrained him and that ultimately resulted in him struggling and at one point even scratching the deputy."

So, the boy was handcuffed. Sheriff Honea said they chose not to put him in the back of a patrol car out of fear he would hit his head or endanger himself.

When Ramsey arrived to the scene and saw her son in handcuffs, she said she was shocked.

"Hands behind his back, his pants were past his bottom, shoes were thrown off," said Ramey. "He was screaming kicking and crying because he has asthma as well."

"When you are restraining somebody, even when you are doing it so they don't harm themselves and they are screaming and yelling you know the optics of that aren't good, it doesn't look good," said Honea when asked about bystanders filming deputies. "My heart goes out to all of the people there, but based on what I can see their actions were motivated out of concerns for this young man. "

Ramey said she was able to stay calm for her son.

"When I saw him in handcuffs it tore me up. I wanted to lose it on them but at the same time I didn't want to get myself in trouble," said Ramey.

Now Meagan Ramey and her husband plan to file an official complaint. Once that is submitted, the Sheriff said they will review their body cameras and conduct interviews.

Ramey said she does not blame the school. She said her son is bruised and going to the doctor for wrist pain.