Police officer slams sobbing black 11-year-old girl into wall after she brushes past teacher
‘You’re not going to use excessive force to get this done,’ says school official
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A police officer pushed a black 11-year-old girl into a wall and violently forced her to the ground after she brushed past a teacher.
Zach Christensen, a school resource officer at Mesa View Middle School in Farmington, New Mexico, pinned the screaming girl to the ground during the 27 August incident.
The child had reportedly been disruptive during school hours and walked out of the building while the headteacher was speaking to her.
She brushed past the teacher while she walked out, a movement which Mr Christensen later falsely described as an assault.
Mr Christensen resigned from the city's Police Department on 1 October, after an internal review found he violated the force’s policy for use of force, The Farmington Daily Times reported.
Body camera footage of the incident, released by the force and posted on YouTube, shows the officer complaining about the girl’s behaviour and threatening to arrest her before the altercation.
“This morning she went straight to the cafeteria, she took more milks than she was supposed to,” Mr Christensen said, while speaking to a colleague.
“She threw a milk on the ground. They tried to say something, she just walks off.”
He also complained about the 11-year-old standing on the school bus instead of sitting down.
During the 77-minute long body-camera footage, he also shouted at the child as she picked at a sign in a window.
“If you destroy it it’s called criminal damage to property,” he said. ”I’m going to charge you with criminal damage to property."
He added: "Yeah, you’re going to go to jail for fifty cents. You are. Yeah, plus resisting, plus disrupting the education process.”
When the girl brushed past the teacher and walked out of the building, Mr Christensen chased after her.
“Take your bag off, take your bag off,” he says in the footage, pulling the child’s rucksack from her shoulders.
He then clutched the girl’s arms and pushed her into the building’s wall, while shouting: “You’re done, you’re done, you’re done, you’re not going to assault the principal. Put your arms behind the back! Put your arms behind your back!”
The child, who has not been named, can be heard screaming and crying.
“Get off me! Ow! Get off me!” she said.
Mr Christensen then pushed her to the ground and used his body to pin her there.
“Turn over! Turn over! Do not resist! Do not resist! Stop resisting!” the police officer shouted.
School officials did not physically intervene but appear to have stood aside and tried to calm the officer down.
“Let her stand up,” one man said to Mr Christensen.
A school official then said: “Officer Christensen, you need to allow her to stand up. Officer Christensen, she is not a threat to yourself or others at this moment.”
“We’re at the point of arrest!” the police officer replied.
“I understand that sir, but you’re not going to use excessive force to get this done,” said the official.
Mr Christensen shouted: “We’re not excessive!”
The child was eventually allowed to stand up and was collected from school by her mother, despite Mr Christensen continually threatening her with arrest.
She had sustained a minor concussion and some scrapes and bruises.
He told his fellow officers that the girl had committed two felonies, by pushing two teachers.
Steve Hebbe, Farmington Police Chief, said a review of the body camera footage revealed his allegations were not true.
Mr Hebbe said he had watched the video in its entirety and met with the child’s family.
“We met with the student and personally apologised for how she was treated,” he said in a Facebook post. “When we fall short of our expectations and standards, we hold ourselves accountable. Like many of you, I was shocked and angry when I watched this video.”
The school district said it was reviewing its policies to avoid such altercations.
“Farmington Municipal Schools (FMS) extends its apologies to the student and family involved in this unfortunate incident,” a spokesperson for the board said. “FMS administration is reviewing this incident with the intent of putting into place procedures and practices to prevent another instance like this. The safety of all students entrusted to our care is among our highest priorities. We are committed to continuing our efforts in that endeavour.”
The San Juan County District Attorney’s Office has reviewed the case but decided not to pursue criminal charges against the officer.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments