Kenosha girl involved in chokehold incident set to sue authorities
A girl whose neck was knelt on by an off-duty Kenosha police officer inside her school is set, with her father, to sue the officer and other authorities. The claim says she suffered a traumatic brain injury in the incident.
The notice of claim also says the Kenosha County District Attorney’s office has charged the 12-year-old girl for her part in the altercation.
Jerrel Perez, the girl’s father, is one of the claimants along with his daughter, who is identified as “Jane Doe.”
The Kenosha Unified School District released redacted surveillance footage showing the March 4 incident at Lincoln Middle School. The footage shows another student approaching Perez’s daughter before Perez’s daughter pushes the other student and a fight ensues.
Almost immediately, off-duty Kenosha officer Shawn Guetschow, 37, intervenes in the fight by pulling the other student off Perez’s daughter. Guetschow then scuffles with Perez’s daughter before falling to the ground and striking his head on the cafeteria table.
Guetschow then restrains Perez’s daughter by pushing her head to the ground and placing her in a chokehold restraint by kneeling on her neck for more than 20 seconds. The officer then handcuffs the girl and walks her out of the cafeteria.
Gov. Tony Evers banned the use of chokeholds by Wisconsin law enforcement in June.
Guetschow is named in the notice, along with Chief of Police Eric Larsen, the City of Kenosha, and Kenosha Unified School District.
Perez’s attorney Drew DeVinney writes in the claim that “an adult man lost his temper and choked a child until she suffered a traumatic brain injury.” He writes that Guetschow violated criminal and civil law in his capacity as a Kenosha police officer and school district employee.
The notice says that Guetschow has not faced criminal charges, but the girl has been charged. The Kenosha District Attorney did not immediately respond to Journal Sentinel questions.
DeVinney wrote in the notice that the girl “is an innocent victim and will defend herself against these baseless charges.”
“The difference between how an adult with a badge and a child with Black skin are being treated should offend everyone’s sense of morality, ethics, and justice,” DeVinney added.