The parents of a 10-year-old boy with disabilities have filed a lawsuit against their local sheriff’s office and school board after they say their son was placed in a chokehold by a deputy.
The boy’s parents, Ashley Hutchinson-Harper and Terry Harper say that the responding deputies from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana violated their child’s civil rights.
The child was previously diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, the suit reads.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call from the school the unnamed child attended, the Congetta Trippe Janet Elementary School located in Marrero, after he allegedly hit the principal, wandered around and off the school’s campus, and threw a trash can through a window, Complex reported.
The alleged incident occurred on May 13, 2021, which is When deputies found the boy, they claim didn’t de-escalate the situation or talk to staff at the school about his medical condition.
The parents say their son was then “placed in a chokehold” and pulled “to the ground” by Sgt. Steven Trapani. They also allege that the child was “fearful for his life” as he was dragged to the ground in a chokehold. THE ACLU of Louisiana confirmed that the child identifies as Black, and was upset that he was being bullied.
Apparently, the boy was interrogated in handcuffs by officers for an hour before being taken to a juvenile detention center and charged with two counts of battery of a police officer, one count of resisting arrest, one count of battery of a schoolteacher, and one count of simple criminal damage of less than $1,000.
The charges have since been dismissed.
The lawsuit was filed on Monday and seeks unspecified damages and a ban on excessive use of handcuffing or physically restraining students with disabilities.
