A federal lawsuit has been filed in Illinois against an off-duty police officer for allegedly using excessive force during a fight between two students at a Wisconsin middle school last year. The lawsuit was filed by Jerrel Perez, a resident of Zion, Illinois, but used to live in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He alleges that the officer, Shawn Guetschow, inflicted lasting injuries on his 12-year-old daughter by placing his knee on her neck, similar to how Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd. The lawsuit seeks damages and attorney fees from Guetschow, the city of Kenosha, and its school district.
The incident occurred on March 4th, 2022, when Guetschow was working as a security guard at Lincoln Middle School in Kenosha. Surveillance footage shows Guetschow rushing over to break up a fight between Perez’s daughter and another student in the school’s cafeteria. He scuffles with Perez’s daughter, and she appears to throw a punch at him, causing both of them to fall to the floor. Guetschow then gets on top of her and appears to press his knee into the back of her neck for about 25 seconds while he handcuffs her. He then leads her away.
Perez’s daughter is Black and Guetschow is white. The lawsuit claims that his daughter could not breathe during the restraint and suffered a traumatic brain injury and recurring headaches. The lawsuit describes the knee restraint as an illegal chokehold prohibited by the Wisconsin law passed in 2021. The law prohibits police from using chokeholds except as a last resort but does not lay out any penalties for officers who employ them. Guetschow was not charged for the incident.
The lawsuit accuses the city of Kenosha of failing to train its officers to work as off-duty security guards and the school district of failing to train its security guards. The lawsuit also contends that the city failed to consider Guetschow’s reputation as having a “short temper.” A performance review from his final year of employment with the Lake Geneva Police Department described him as “emotional, panicked or loses their temper.” Guetschow resigned from his security guard position days after the incident, citing mental and emotional strain.
In conclusion, the federal lawsuit against the off-duty police officer, the city of Kenosha, and its school district seeks damages and attorney fees for alleged excessive force used during a fight at a Wisconsin middle school. The incident involved the officer placing his knee on the neck of Perez’s daughter, causing her to suffer a traumatic brain injury and recurring headaches. The lawsuit accuses the city and school district of failing to train their officers and security guards and also considers Guetschow’s reputation as having a “short temper.”
REFERENCES:
Student’s dad sues over officer’s neck restraint