Distressing footage has emerged of two Chicago cops tasering a 16-year-old girl at her high school.
Dnigma Howard claims she was wrestled to the floor and tasered while her father watched on helplessly following an argument with a teacher over using a cell phone in class at John Marshall Metropolitan High School, on Tuesday morning.
Shocking surveillance footage shows the girl bundled to the floor and dragged down a flight of stairs by the two officers, who have since been reassigned to another school.
Shocking CCTV footage shows the girl bundled to the floor and dragged down a flight of stairs by the two officers, who have since been reassigned to another school
According to a lawsuit filed against Chicago police, the officers then held her down by stepping on her chest, punching her and then shocked her with a stun gun.
The teen has an individualized education program to help manage her behavior, but her father said the protocol in place wasn’t followed.
‘She wasn’t really fighting back. She was defending herself. They were kicking her and stomping her and stuff. She tensed up. That’s a natural reaction of anybody,’ her father told WGN9.
According to a lawsuit filed against Chicago police, the officers then held her down by stepping on her chest, punching her and then shocked her with a stun gun
An officer stands with their foot on Dnigma Howard’s ankle, left, before she kicks, right, at them during the violent altercation at John Marshall Metropolitan High School in Chicago
The teen has an individualized education program to help manage her behavior, but her father said the protocol in place wasn’t followed. ‘She wasn’t really fighting back. She was defending herself. They were kicking her and stomping her and stuff. She tensed up. That’s a natural reaction of anybody,’ her father said
Attorney Andrew Stroth said the two officers in the video had 89 percent more complaints of excessive force than other members in the CPD.
He said Howard ‘did not instigate or provoke any type of attack.’
Previous footage recorded by the girl’s father captured the ugly interaction.
As the police officers were escorting her from the building a distressing dispute erupted and was captured on film by the teenager’s father, Laurentio Howard.
In the cell phone footage Dnigma is seen on the floor as two officers stand over her.
One of the officers, who is holding a yellow taser, can be seen with their leg on Dnigma’s thigh and she tries to kick and hit at them while rolling around on the floor.
The other officer, who has also not been named, grabs the teenager’s arm.
Dnigma then manages to sit up but the officer with the taser keeps a foot on her leg and the other controls her arm.
When she reaches for the taser, the officer swings for her face and shocked students can be heard shouting in the clip.
Chicago Police claimed that Dnigma bit and kicked the officers and that one of them fell down the stairs while trying to escort her from the building.
However Mr Howard alleged the officer tried to ‘push’ his daughter down the stairs so she ‘grabbed the police officer by the vest’ in defence, reports ABC7 Chicago.
He said: ‘I couldn’t believe what was going on. I was thinking, ‘If I jump in they’re going to shoot me. And if I don’t jump in, they’re going to hurt my daughter really bad”.’
The teenager reaches for the taser, left, before the police officer swings, right, for her face
Dnigma claims she was left with cuts, one pictured on her face, after the incident. She has since been charged with two felonies and the officers will be reassigned
Mr Howard blames the school for not following the behavioral protocol they had agreed, which includes letting his daughter talk to a counsellor, for the incident.
Both of the officers and Dnigma were taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries.
A Chicago police spokesperson told ABC: ‘The officers are currently on medical leave and they will be reassigned to different duties within the District.’
Dnigma was charged with two felony counts of aggravated battery to a peace officer and two misdemeanor counts of resisting and obstructing a peace officer.