Newly released surveillance footage of a high school lunchtime fight shows a police officer on duty in Kenosha, Wisconsin, placing his knee on a 12-year-old girl’s neck to hide her dress her up earlier this month.
Jerrel Perez, the girl’s father, called on the Kenosha Unified School District to release the footage. Perez argues with district attorney should bring fee against Kenosha officer Shawn Guetschow for placing his knee on his daughter Perez’s neck to restrain her – a move that forbidden to Wisconsin law enforcement officials last year.
Surveillance footage from the March 4 incident appears to show another student approaching Perez’s daughter, before Perez’s daughter pushes the other student and a fight ensues.
Almost immediately Guetschow, 37, intervened in the fight by pulling the other student away from Perez’s daughter. Guetschow then scuffled with Perez’s daughter, before falling to the ground and hitting his head on a table in the cafe.
Guetschow then restrained Perez’s daughter by pushing her head to the ground and placing her in a restraint for about 25 seconds, using his knee to press against her neck. The officer then handcuffed the girl and took her out of the canteen.
Perez’s attorney, Drew Devinney, said Guetschow acted on duty after putting Perez’s daughter in a bind. He and his client are calling for charges against the officer. District Attorney Kenosha has not released the charges to any of the parties involved.
Devinney said it plans to file a lawsuit against the police, the school district and the police department.
The school district initially granted Guetschow a paid leave of absence. According to Tanya Ruder, KUSD’s communications director, he resigned from his part-time security job on Tuesday.
“Because it appears this incident could lead to litigation, the district will not provide further details at this time,” Ruder said.
In his resignation letter, Guetschow called for the district’s lack of support and said the incident had placed a heavy burden on his family.
The Kenosha Police Department did not respond to questions about the incident nor Guetschow.
Devinney said Wednesday that his client was the subject of bullying and is defending himself. “At no point did Jerrel’s daughter push or attack this officer,” he said. He also said Perez’s daughter screamed that she couldn’t breathe while the officer knelt on her neck.
Perez said his daughter is receiving treatment and seeing a neurologist to treat her injury and has been allowed to miss school for two weeks.
