Two school security officers are now suspended and a criminal investigation is possible following the recent discovery of the above security camera footage. The Oakland Unified School District’s new superintendent and police chief are calling the incident, captured on camera at Fremont High School in January 2014 but recently more fully uncovered, an unprovoked attack on a high school student. As the Chronicle reports, the incident may then have been ignored or covered up by former officials at the school. At issue are the rough treatment and chokehold applied to the young student as well as an exchange of blows that is uncontested but occurred off-screen. Further, the Chronicle reports that district officials have expressed concern that the boy is Latino while the two security officers are African American, hinting at a racial element to the attack.
“The video reflects that the security officers initiated contact with the student, escalated the conflict, struck the student and used an improper technique to try and subdue him,” Superintendent Antwan Wilson wrote in a public letter sent Friday to Fremont High parents and staff. "When I watched the video, I was angered by what I saw; not only the excessive force, but also the apparent response of some of the adults who either failed to act on behalf of the student during and/or after the incident.” An investigation into who knew what and when has been opened. The student was suspended for five days following the incident, and the security officers received no disciplinary action at the time according to Oakland schools Police Chief Jeff Godown.
Previously: Video: Oakland School Security Officer Beats The Hell Out Of Student In Wheelchair