OTTAWA ─ Ottawa police will investigate the actions of one of its officers after a 9-year-old autistic boy was handcuffed at an elementary school Thursday.

The parents filed an official complaint Friday afternoon with the professional standards section.

Daniel Ten Oevre smashed a toilet tank cover and later threw chairs in the school office when a female police officer, who happened to be there, decided to restrain the boy.

The school board stands by the actions of staff at St. Jerome Catholic School but won't speak for police.

Const. Mark Soucy, a former school resource officer himself, said he has had to do the same and it is sometimes the only option officers have.

"Anybody who is violent or is showing signs of violence, can be restrained to protect both them and for officer safety," he said.

He said police would investigate the officer's actions if an official complaint was filed.

The boy's mother, Stephanie Huck, said she and her husband were called by the school after the violence followed a troubled ride to school.

Daniel and another autistic, but non-verbal boy, routinely ride to school together in a taxi.

The pair were fighting in the car, which left Daniel in an agitated state at school.

Staff moved Daniel to a special "sensory room" which helped for awhile until another child was brought in, causing Daniel to become agitated again.

That's when he was walked around and smashed the toilet, leading to chair-throwing in the office.

Huck said the school never told her Daniel was handcuffed and they only found out when the boy's father -- also named Daniel -- asked his son if he got hurt.

"He told him -- only when they put the metal things on," Huck said. "Poor guy is now afraid of the police."

The Ottawa Catholic School Board provided a statement Friday morning about protocol involving dealing with "violent incidents."

According to superintendent Mary Donaghy, that protocol seeks to ensure the safety of all students and staff at all times.

"We use the support of school staff trained in non-violent crisis intervention, sometimes referred to as CPI training from the Crisis Prevention Institute. We will not speak specifically about the incident except to say that our staff acted appropriately to ensure the safety of everyone involved," she said.

doug.hempstead@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @DougHempstead