Off-duty police officer sued for kneeling on girl's neck in Wisconsin school
Kenosha middle school
A man in Illinois has alleged that an off-duty police officer, who was working as a school security guard, manhandled his 12-year-daughter while trying to restrain her during a fight at a Wisconsin middle school last year. Jerrel Perez said in a lawsuit that Shawn Guetschow used an illegal chokehold to restrain the girl, leaving her with lasting injuries.
The lawsuit, which was filed Monday, sees Perez allege that Guetschow improperly restrained his daughter during the March 4, 2022 altercation at Lincoln Middle School in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Guetschow is a Kenosha police officer as well but was not on duty at the time of the incident, officials have said.
The lawsuit says Guetschow pushed his right knee into the back of the girl's neck while pushing her head into the cafeteria floor. He placed his entire body weight against the girl's neck, restraining a child using unreasonable force.
Perez also said in the lawsuit that his daughter wasunable to breathe while Guetschow pressed his knee on her neck. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and is now suffering from recurring headaches, according to the lawsuit.
Notably, Wisconsin had passed a law in 2021 that prohibits the police from using chokeholds. It can only be used as a last resort. Several other states have passed similar statutes following widespread protests over George Floyd's death.
The law does not mention any penalties for officers that employ chokeholds. Prosecutors can decide whether other charges such as assault or reckless endangerment might apply in such situations.
Court records show that Guetschow was not charged in the school incident.
The Kenosha Unified School District released a video of the incident on March 18. Guetschow can be seen trying to break up a fight between two girls in the video. He then falls to the ground with one of the girls and later gets on top of her, while holding her down and putting his knee on her neck for 22 seconds.
(With inputs from agencies)
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