Off-duty cop caught on camera using illegal chokehold on 12-year-old girl [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• An off-duty police officer was seen in a video kneeling on the neck of a 12-year-old girl after he broke up a school fight.
• Officer Shawn Guetschow resigned from his position as a part-time security guard at Lincoln Middle School in Kenosha.
• In 2021, the chokehold maneuver was outlawed after George Floyd’s death.

An off-duty police officer was captured in a surveillance video kneeling on the neck of a 12-year-old girl. The video was released by Lincoln Middle School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the weekend.

On March 4, Officer Shawn Guetschow broke up a fight between two middle school students in the cafeteria. Guetschow was working as a part-time security guard at the school when the incident happened.

Newly released footage from the Kenosha Unified School District shows the beginning, middle and end of the lunch room fight that resulted in 37-year-old officer Shawn Guetschow placing a 12-year-old student in a knee chokehold restraint. Story forthcoming. pic.twitter.com/jT2I4GujLY

— Drake Bentley (@DrakeBentleyMJS) March 18, 2022

A video circulating online shows the off-duty cop intervening in a fight between two girls. In an instant, Guetschow’s knee is pressed against the neck of one of the girls who was lying face down on the floor. He appears to be kneeling on the girl’s neck for about 30 seconds, before putting her in handcuffs and walking her out of the cafeteria.

Students inside the cafeteria recorded the incident on their phones. The Kenosha Unified School District also released a surveillance video.

Following the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, at the hands of Minneapolis police, the chokehold was outlawed in 2021 in Wisconsin. Some community members have called for criminal charges against Guetschow.

The unidentified girl’s father, Jerrel Perez has hired a lawyer with the intention of suing Guetschow, the school district, and the police department.

“Right now [my daughter is] in therapy and has to see a neurologist,” Perez said, according to FOX 6. “I felt helpless as a father, I felt like I let my daughter down.”

The school district’s first response was to place Guetschow on paid leave. Come Tuesday, he resigned from his part-time security job.

PEOPLE obtained a copy of Guetschow’s resignation letter, where he cited a lack of communication and support from the district as a reason for his resignation. He also added the “mental and emotional strain” brought by the aftermath of the March 4 incident.

The Kenosha Police Department issued a statement saying “We continue our investigation, paying careful attention to the entire scope of the incident. We have no further update at this time.”

The Kenosha Police Department has mentioned that both students involved in the cafeteria fight should be charged with criminal disorderly conduct.

Source: PEOPLE