A Clark County School District Police patch during an interview at CCSD Police headquarters in Henderson, Friday, Feb.18, 2022.
Friday, Feb. 10, 2023 | 4:11 p.m.
A video posted on social media today shows a Clark County School District Police officer slamming a teenage Black boy to the ground Thursday and pinning him with his knees while pushing and shouting profanities at other Black youths.
The cellphone video, which is just under a minute long, starts with a uniformed CCSDPD officer walking in the street to a police vehicle, while detaining a boy with his hands behind his back. As he leaned the boy against the hood, another boy walked through the frame, holding out what appeared to be his own phone.
The officer then followed him, and they exchanged words, which were largely inaudible over the voices of several other people, although the second boy told the officer what sounded like “don’t touch me.” Within seconds, the officer wrapped his arms around the second boy from behind and took him to the ground, pinning him in the gutter with his knees on the boy’s back.
The officer also shoved a boy who approached and yelled “back the f— up” several times.
Off-camera, voices said “you can’t have him on the floor like that” and “call my momma.” All of the youths in the video appeared to be Black.
The district said the incident happened Thursday near a school following a report of a gun. The district didn’t say what school or anything else about the circumstances, including the condition of the boy or any charges.
“Upon viewing the video involving school police and juveniles near a CCSD campus, we are concerned with how one of our students was treated. As with any situation, an investigation will occur to understand all the facts and hold people accountable for their actions,” CCSD Superintendent Jesus Jara said in a statement today. “The relationship between our students and school police is extremely important to each school community. The partnership between our students and school police is paramount to school safety and cultivating future relationships.”
The police department released this statement:
“The Clark County School District Police Department is aware of an incident that was recorded involving one of our officers and a juvenile. The incident stemmed from an investigation regarding the report of a firearm near one of our schools. We have initiated an investigation, the department will review all aspects of the interaction, including what transpired before, during, and after the recording. As this matter is under investigation, we are unable to provide any further details at this time. This matter is being taken seriously, as are all interactions between our officers and members of the public who we serve.”
“Reckless and egregious,” ACLU of Nevada Executive Director Athar Haseebullah posted under a tweet of the video. “Send the students my way if you get a hold of them.”
