An investigation is underway to determine whether or not a Texas police officer used excessive force to break up an altercation. Janissa Valdez, a 12-year-old student at Rhodes Middle School was arguing with her classmate when Officer Joshua Kehm stepped in to intervene.
A YouTube video shows Kehm struggling to restrain the young girl. He eventually body slams Valdez on the ground, handcuffs her then walks her away from the scene.
Reportedly, Valdez had swelling on her right temple as a result of being assaulted by the officer. The student’s mother, Gloria Valdez shared that he daughter had been in several fights before as a result of being continuously bullied since the onset of the school year.
“I talked to a counselor, the vice principal and principal, and they said they’d look into it. Finally, the other student started attacking her and got into a fight, and it led to my daughter getting suspended (for three days)”.
“Supposedly the other little girl wanted to argue with my daughter, but I honestly don’t know the reason why,” added the elder Valdez. “I told her she wasn’t allowed to get in fights anymore because the administrators told her, ‘next time you’ll go to jail and mom gets a fine.’ They (told her) next time make sure the administrator knows before anything else happens.”
Gloria hopes that the appropriate disciplinary action is taken against the officer because, “he could go back and do it again to my daughter or another student.”
According to My San Antonio, Kehm has been placed on paid administrative leave while the district’s police department is investigating the incident.
“This video is very concerning, and we are working to get all of the details,” commented San Antonio Independent School District spokeswoman Leslie Price. “We certainly want to understand what all occurred, and we are not going to tolerate excessive force in our district.”
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