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Dnigma Howard's attorney said the police had attacked, punched and given orders to the 16-year-old girl and had her thrown on a staircase.
UNITED STATES TODAY & # 39; HUI
A recently released surveillance video shows Chicago police officers dragging a high school student into a flight of stairs, kicking her and hitting her with a stun gun.
Dnigma Howard, 16, was initially charged with criminal charges after the police reported that she had initiated the January incident at Marshall High School. High School . However, the charges have been withdrawn and the newly released video contradicts the statements of the police, said Friday at American Driigma lawyer Andrew M. Stroth.
"You have an unarmed 16-year-old girl who was attacked and thrown down the stairs, punched, kicked, and then ordered officers," Stroth said. "It's a saving grace for this young woman that video tape exists."
Dnigma's father, Laurentio Howard, on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Chicago, his education council and the two police officers.
In the lawsuit, Howard claims that his daughter "was, without justification, physically abused and traumatized by two Chicago police officers".
Chicago police spokeswoman Christine Calace declined to comment on the details of the case, but said the Civilian Police Accountability Office was pursuing an independent investigation into the incident.
According to the lawsuit, the incident began when Dnigma was ordered to leave school on January 29 because she had her phone in class.
The lawsuit indicated that she was escorted by a school security officer when they approached her. Howard was also present during the incident.
Dnigma was near a stairway with the police when she kissed a friend goodbye, the suit said. She then turned around and took two steps up the stairs when the police grabbed her and dragged her up the stairs, according to the court record.
The officers "in a few moments have aggravated the situation," said Stroth.
The video shows Dnigma walking on the steps, then an agent grabbing her and pushing her up the stairs.
The video surveillance of the level below shows a policeman who pulls him what appears to be his leg while the other policeman tries to pin it to the ground down the stairs. The police then beat, kicked and used a stun gun because Dnigma was on the ground, depending on the suit.
Dnigma was initially charged with two aggravated battery charges, but the charges were dropped a week later "in the interest of justice," prosecutors said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times .
The prosecution also alleges that the officers "deliberately made false statements about the incident", including that the teenager hit them on the ground and that she became furious and initiated the "police station". physical altercation.
The video refutes any claim that Dnigma was at the origin of the incident, according to Stroth and the trial.
"It's tragic," said Stroth. "The video speaks for itself."
Stroth says that the girl was traumatized physically and emotionally by the incident and has since changed schools.
In addition, the lawsuit indicates that the school did not follow an individual education program established by Dnigma with the school because of an emotional handicap.
Emily Bolton, spokesperson for the Chicago Public Schools, said the CPS was cooperating fully with the independent review conducted by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
"CPC is committed to creating a safe and positive learning environment for all students and we are deeply troubled by this incident that has no place in our schools," he said. she said in a statement.
Stroth, a civil rights lawyer who has worked on cases of police abuse across the country, says the case highlights a broader problem of police surveillance in Chicago schools.
The complaint indicates that the city lacks forgetfulness and standards for school officers, which violates the civil rights of students.
"This case can be a catalyst for change in Chicago's public schools and say, 'We do not want this for our children.'
Follow Ryan Miller, USA TODAY, on Twitter @RyanW_Miller
Read or share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/04/12/video-chicago-police-hit-dragged-student-dnigma-howard-lawsuit-says/3450778002/
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