Video Shows Kenosha Cop Kneeling on the Neck of Student to Break up a School Fight

Officials of the Kenosha Unified School District have released a redacted video where a Kenosha cop was shown kneeling on the neck of the student to pacify her during a school lunch fight at the Lincoln Middle School.

The move comes after the student's dad, Jerrel Perez, demanded the footage's release as he has urged the district attorney to launch a lawsuit against the Kenosha cop, Shawn Guetschow, 37.

Cops kneeling on the neck to subdue an individual was banned in Wisconsin in 2021 in light of the arrest of George Floyd in Minnesota, which has sparked outrage and calls for defunding the police across the country.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Guetschow, who worked security part-time at the school when he is off-duty as a cop, was put on paid leave by the Kenosha Unified School District following the incident. However, the cop resigned from his part-time job as he said that the incident had been straining his family because of the lack of support from the school district.

The School Lunch Fight

The footage showed that Guetschow acted immediately after a fight between two school girls ensued during school lunch on Friday, March 4. As he was trying to pull the girls away from each other, Perez's daughter scuffled with Guetschow, who fell to the floor and struck his head on a table.

Guetschow then got up and attempted to restrain the 12-year-old girl by forcing her head to the ground and placing a chokehold restraint using his knee for about 25 seconds. He then handcuffed the girl and led her out of the canteen.

Drew DeVinney, the family's attorney, said that Guetschow should be criminally charged for kneeling on the neck. However, the district attorney has not yet revealed any charges against Guetschow as of press time.

The Kenosha Police Department, on the other hand, told the New York Post that Guetschow is still employed as a cop. The department also issued a statement saying that they are "paying careful attention" to what happened and continue their investigations.

12-Year-Old Now Seeking Therapy

Meanwhile, during a press conference, the child's father said that his daughter has been seeking therapy due to her neck injury. She also felt traumatized and humiliated by the arrest, and Perez said that it's breaking him apart that he could not help his daughter, per ABC News.

After the incident, the father initially thought his daughter was trying to get out of punishment at home because of what happened as she complained about her neck. Later, Perez reviewed the surveillance video and saw Guetschow kneeling on his daughter's neck.

The family's lawyer denied allegations that the girl pushed the cop and that she was facing charges of disorderly conduct. The school initially refused to release the surveillance video due to the investigations.