Police are recommending juvenile charges against a student involved in an incident with an Avondale police officer after an altercation broke out during a West Valley school's lunch period.
The incident happened at Tolleson Union High School District's West Point High School on Sept. 17. A video of the altercation surfaced online, showing a school safety resource officer grabbing a student by the neck while the student attempts to push the officer back. The officer is later seen dragging the student to the floor and repeatedly pressing against the student's face.
The Arizona Republic obtained surveillance footage from the school district that shows the beginning of the altercation. The footage shows the officer placing his hand on the student's
back and pushing him. The student turns around and pushes the officer's hand away. The officer then grabs the student's neck and attempts to restrain him and the student resists. The officer strikes at the student's face before bringing him to the ground.
The Avondale Police Department requested that the Peoria Police Department investigate the matter "to ensure an independent and transparent review." Peoria police recommended that the Maricopa County Attorney's Office prosecute the student, a 17-year-old senior, for aggravated assault and resisting arrest.
Peoria police found that the Avondale officer made no criminal violations and that the initial contact was "a guide, not a shove."
Vanessa Ceja-Cervantes, a spokesperson from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, said the submittal of recommended prosecution is under review.
What led to the incident at West Point High School?
A Peoria police investigation shows that multiple fights broke out at West Point High School’s cafeteria on Sept. 17.
The officer told Peoria police during the investigation that he was guiding students away from the cafeteria by placing his hand on their backs. One student, the 17-year-old senior, pushed the officer’s hand away and faced him, according to the report. The officer said he grabbed the student's arm and warned him not to push him.
The officer told Avondale police that once the student turned to face him, he felt he was trying to fight him. The student, however, told Peoria police that he was not trying to fight, and that he was just scared.
The officer said the student pushed him two more times. The officer told investigators he then punched the student's face, grabbed the back of his neck and forced him to the ground. He said he struggled to get a hold of the student’s arms once on the ground and pushed the student's face down. The officer also told police the student had punched his face.
Peoria police also spoke with the student, who told them he was walking out of the cafeteria when an officer began cursing: “Get the (expletive) out,” “You (expletive) elementary kids” and “(Expletive) move” before shoving the student.
The student said he pushed the officer’s hand away and told him not to touch him. He said the officer then grabbed him and shoved him against an object, which from the video possibly appeared to be a trash can. He then turned to the officer and pushed him away, and the officer punched him, grabbed him and slammed him to the floor, the student told police, according to the report. The officer then began punching his face, the student told police.
The student said he brought his hands up and tried to push the officer away. The officer punched him again and the student held on to the officer’s vest, to which the officer instructed him to let go before punching him again, according to the report. The student said he let go after that.
Avondale police spoke with both the officer and the student after the incident. The student told Avondale police the officer instructed him to turn around once on the ground, and he questioned how he could turn around while the officer was sitting on him. He said the officer then stood up slightly and he turned around and placed his hand behind his back.
One employee whom police interviewed said he witnessed the officer straddling someone who did not appear to resist.
The officer had a slight swelling on his right hand, redness on the right side of his face, and a small scratch, according to the Peoria police investigation. The student had a bloody nose, multiple scratches on his forearms and redness on his forehead and nose.
Coverage of education solutions on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is partially supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation’s Arizona Community Collaborative Fund.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Police clear Avondale officer, request prosecution of student after altercation
