Texas girl, 12, suspended after being thrown to ground by officer
A screenshot shows Janissa Valdez, 12, who was seen being slammed to the ground by a police officer during an altercation with another student in a video that went viral this week. (WILX)
SAN ANTONIO » A Texas woman says her 12-year-old daughter was suspended from school following an altercation with another student that ended with a police officer body-slamming the girl to the ground.
Gloria Valdez says her daughter, a student at a San Antonio middle school, suffered swelling to her temple after being thrown to the floor by the school district officer.
She acknowledged to the San Antonio Express-News that the girl has fought with others before but said another student started the March altercation.
Students used cellphones to record the officer as he struggled with the girl before slamming her to the ground. The officer has been placed on paid leave.
In the video, the officer appears to handcuff the girl before having her stand and leading her away.
82 responses to “Texas girl, 12, suspended after being thrown to ground by officer”
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Hey, don’t blame the cop. The batteries in his Taser were dead, so he had to body-slam her instead.
Proper action of the security. People young or old who do not obey officers orders should be dealt with force and roughly!
And again, video only shows what happened just seconds before. Missing cause and affect. He already tried to carry her and she was bucking down still resisting.
That’s right! What else could an adult police officer do, except to throw the girl onto the ground? That makes perfect sense.
What actually makes “perfect sense” is knowing the entire set of facts before reaching a conclusion. Don’t think you’ve bothered with that.
I doubt very much that many of high-handed posters here have any experience dealing one-on-one with someone who is actively resisting and simply will not obey a lawful command. Talk all you want about applying this or that marshal arts move or that the officer should have, because he was male and bigger, performed with more finesse. In the end, he probably just thought to himself, “Please Lord, let me go home unhurt today.” You can be all the expert you could be in applying wrist or arm locks, but all it takes is a lucky blow to take your eye out. I too wish the officer could have calmly walked the girl out – but it was her choice not to realize that outcome.
You and I had this discussion the last time around. Although we only see a few seconds of the clip, do you think the officer’s response level was appropriate?
Foolish me advertiser1. I must’ve missed the part where the officer ignored her plaintive cries of distress and submission and without provocation, manhandled her forcefully to the ground. I bow to your superior wisdom!
I don’t see why you feel the need to strike out. All I asked was, given the clip we’ve seen, do you think the officer’s level of response was appropriate.
See Delta, Allaha came out and said, what the officer did was proper. Maybe you are right I can’t comprehend lots of stuff, so can you please just say whether his use of force was or was not appropriate.
advertiser1, you do know what “the pot calling the kettle black” means don’t you? And, you also continue to read without comprehending. Just why that is I can’t begin to guess.
Thanks for sharing. But for the record, why do you still subscribe if SA is as bad as you say?
Amen – My thoughts also. If they hate it so much then just go away!
Can’t speak for Joe, but afflicting the leftwing SA readership with reality and pointing out the SA’s blatant progressive bias seems like a civic duty. Bother the comfortable? That’s the idea.
seems to have stopped the resistance.
Can’t argue with what works.
I bet next time she’ll think twice before resisting arrest.
It depends if she/her parent get awarded a big sum of money for that incident.
They shouldn’t be awarded a damn dime. Our society has gotten so out of control. There is absolutely no respect by young kids and when one of them is dealt with, the public goes nuts against the person who tried to put a stop to it. If you are asked to stop and follow an officer, just listen!
Having done martial arts, and taught kids as well, it looks like the move he put on her is not “alarming,” as the news reporter says. At worst she might get a bruise or bump (which she apparently did), but nothing life-threatening. We don’t know how much resistance she might have given him until that point; perhaps she’s a strong girl and knows how to kick or gouge an officer’s eyes. If more evidence shows that he in fact used too much force, it should be investigated. Otherwise, we can be thankful that officers can use force (when justified), and are not bound by PC rules.
Follow up: On second look, she did drop down and hit the floor with some impact. But not sure if the officer intentionally threw her down, of if his grip slipped and she fell due to gravity. Still not life threatening, and we don’t know exactly what went on before the video begins.
If he knew martial arts like you say, a simple ” come along” pressure hold would have been suffice. A full body throw is out of line.
She probably got an attitude issue. But if the only way you can control a 12 year old girl is by body slamming her, you really shouldn’t be a security guard.
The brat got what she deserved. Let’s hope the security officer is Hispanic. If not, the Obama Justice Department will be on this one like flies on poop.
I wonder what you would say if that was your daughter on the receiving end of that body slam?
UNLESS THE 12-YR OLD GIRL WAS A 6FT 260LB LINEBACKER, AN OVER-THE SHOULDER BODY SLAM IS ABSOLUTELY UNNECESSARY BRUTAL. COP SHUDDA CALLED FOR FEMALE OFFICER BACK-UP.
OOPS, I MEANT 230 LBS.
Exactly!
The heck with soft handling of such creepy youngsters. Slam them is ok.
If you look at the video and the way the officer was holding her from the back, she was still in fighting mode. It wouldn’t take much for her to twist her upper body, leading with her elbow and striking the officer’ nose or other parts of his face. 230 or 260 pounds, if you get nailed on the nose with an elbow torqued by a twisting 100 pound body, I guarantee it’ll get your attention. By the time a female cop arrives, somebody’s nose could have been broken and bleeding.
Yes, he should have let the two girls slug each other for fifteen or twenty minutes while he called and waited for a female officer backup. And what would you say if one of the girls was seriously injured or killed while he did nothing except call for a female officer backup?
You know, I really don’t think having a female officer as backup, by itself, would be sufficient to stifle all criticism. It’s troubling to think it, but at least one of the two officers would have to be “of color” too. Maybe then a physical intervention would be above reproach. Am I wrong? If so, then my humblest apology tendered in advance.
I’d say, what did you do that caused the officer to intervene?
What would he say? Probably something about how it could never happen because he doesn’t believe in having daughters.
I would say, you deserve what you got and if I were there, I would have kick your butt all the way home.
You are a real Tough guy, thats called Child abuse!
@airsumo, I can tell you exactly what Ronin006 would’ve said. I have an acquaintance who spouts the same nonsense as him. Until it was his nephew that got roughed up by the cops for some infraction. Then he turned completely around, saying the treatment was too harsh, they were going to sue the dept., etc. I reminded him of his previous comments (“Got what he deserved”), and he began stammering uh, well, uh…he didn’t know what to say, being entrapped by his own hypocrisy.
Two girls having an “altercation”; yes, that deserves to be addressed, and suspension (esp if it was repeated behavior) is deserved. But a body slam is out of line. It should have been handled differently. So he should be disciplined as well. Wouldn’t blame the family if they sued.
This was not a one-time fight for this brat. Her mother acknowledged that the girl has fought with others before. “Others” with an “s” is plural which means more than once. She is a repeat offender and got what she deserved for resisting the security officer.
As for handling it differently, what do you suggest the security officer should have done to the girl who was struggling and resting his attempts to break up the fight?
Ronin, the question here is not about her past. The question is related to the level of force used in this situation. I guess the caveat is whether or not the officer knew of the girl’s past, and thought her to be a threat.
If I had a Daughter and she was a Fight picking brat then GOOD!
Good for her. Kids now days should be disciplined like the old days. Slap them upside the head and swats.
Sure. What’s wrong with the police just beating people when they feel like it? What could go wrong? Great post!
When I was young, which was quite a few years ago, kids who messed up at school received a little corporal punishment from the teacher or principal and when we got home, we got it again from our parents. It was “double jeopardy” but no one got arrested for disciplining their kids. Most kids respected their parents and other authority, there was very little crime involving kids and most births occurred to women who were married. Then liberals determine it was child abuse to spank a kid, it was made a crime, and look what we have to show for it. You and others may ask what is wrong with that. I’ll tell you. Kids running wild, using profanity against teachers and others with impunity, many of them always in some kind of trouble and unwed mothers including teens in junior high and high school being treated as celebrities.
What? Did you walk 20 miles to school in the snow too?
Sorry, I meant 20 miles uphill both ways in the snow.
Funny, Avert. 1, Talk to a few teachers about the disrespectful zoo in which many of them are forced to work.
Yes, I did walk to school each day in the rain and snow, one mile each way, some up hill and some down hill. Had to walk on the roads as the village in which I lived had no sidewalks. Incidentally, Advertiser1, how does someone walk uphill both ways? If you walk uphill going one way, you would have to walk down hill going the other way.
“Corporal punishment,” eh? I guess anything goes until you make sergeant.
Winston, my point was that youths disrespecting authority is not a new concept. And that somehow some notion about spanking is the cause. It was not that it doesn’t happen.
Ronin, the uphill both ways was a part of the joke….sorry, I guess if I have to explain it, then it wasn’t funny.
Thanks. I appreciate the humor.
Police officers need to know how to defuse situations and use the least amount of force necessary if needing to subdue somebody. This officer was way over the line with this body slam. The comments defending him here are disgusting.
Boo hoo, sometimes a body slam is the minimum level of diffusion needed officer milktoast.
For a 12-year-old girl? Your officer milktoast is the subject of this story. Unless the look she gave him wasn’t properly licensed or registered.
It’s easy for anyone to criticize the action of this officer. Has anyone blogging ever attempted to break up a fight between two whose adrenaline are jet propelled, arms and legs swinging in every direction, not stopping no matter how vocal you may be? Often times you need to be extra forceful to keep from being hurt yourself. Those defending this officer can probably relate to what I’m writing. It’s already been stated this female had been in fights before, so she’s a veteran at it even if she claims the other person started it. If so, then why was she suspended?
Some schools have zero tolerance policy. If you fight, you get suspended, no matter who started it.
seaborn, you’re missing my point, but thanks for the ‘zero tolerance policy’ info. Many of us wouldn’t have taken that into consideration.
Get rid of him. Too many idiots in security and law enforcement. If he was taking down a dangerous criminal or terrorist, no problem. An unarmed 12-year-old girl? He’s in the Wrong line of work.
No respect for authority now days with these kids. Her friends should have told her to stop struggling but they probably was making it much worse. Don’t like the tactic, but I’m sure that was probably a last resort.
You think that picking up a 12 year old girl and throwing her onto the ground was the “last resort?” Well sure … that makes a lot of sense. What else can the police do with children, other than to deliberately injure them?
Well, that desk she was holding onto could be deadly in the hands of an expert. The officer was clearly in fear for his life.
I have stopped a fight between two middle school girls here, and they were really going at it. I separated them by pulling them by the arm, and demanding they stop. Once separated, I took a minute telling them they were risking suspension or expulsion, and they got silent, though kept staring at each other. Then as I stood between them, I asked them to explain their situation, and it turned out to be a bunch of imagined middle school drama, and all hearsay, no facts. So, with cooler heads, they apologized and went their ways. I received a few scratches, but they got no suspensions, and, hopefully, grew up a little.
you got played by some punks.
I think seaborn’s point was that he (or she) stopped the fight with a lower level intervention.
ALL BLAME GOES TOWARDS THE PARENT OR PARENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe your post would make sense if you added more exclamation points? No, all blame here goes to the police officer for his ridiculous overreaction. Police are not trained to throw children to the ground. The officer will learn that lesson at his dismissal hearing, and later at the civil trial.
Oh, the officer should have just stood there and waved his finger at her an said No-No, Wake up to reality, even a 12 yr old gal could kill some one, and she is a repeat offender.
Don’t you think there is a response in-between waving a finger and body slamming?
I really like what Kolohepalu wrote, “…if the only way you can control a 12 year old girl is by body slamming her, you really shouldn’t be a security guard.”
Body Slam?!! I’d like a professional review/opinion by WWF.
Interesting point. By the way, WWE at one point was promoting the Be A Star anti-bullying campaign. That while promoting a show that is 95 percent about bullying in the form of heels attacking face (good guys). Now, they have totally dropped the ant-bullying promotion and have gone all bullying. And this is what our children are often exposed to. When such a big entertainment company promotes bullying while they sell children’s action figures there is a problem. It makes one wonder how many of these kids with developing minds become indoctrinated to the bully mentality. Just a thought.
This is what’s called an attitude adjustment.
Poor officer probably broke a nail on his hand throwing a 12 YEAR OLD GIRL down !! Just reinforces what I have ALWAYS thought of Texas – PRIMITIVE THINKERS.
I really wonder if this poor cop would have thrown a white 12 year old GIRL into the ground ……….. Just sayin …………….
I hope they sue that bully cop.
I’ll just guess that the school has information we don’t. They suspended her.
If he used less force and she inflicted injury to someone else by breaking away, then he’s liable for lack of action? It’s a split second reaction to what resistance he had, and she was resisting. Seem like of misjudgement of his size and strength and the girls, but seems once she was down he didn’t abuse her…just the force he used to take her down. Bottom line is she didn’t respond to orders from him, and if not from him what about from school authorities?
No, he is not liable for “lack of action”
I believe folks like advertiser1 simply don’t have the capacity to appreciate what blatant “excessive force” is, and what it can be in the usually understood meaning of the term. Had the officer repeatedly (or even once) stomped on the girl with his size 12s, or used his fists and punched her in the jaw, or dropped with his full weight on her abdomen using his elbow, then yes, excessive force would have been clearly applied. But he did none of those things. People with an armchair judgmental mindset prefer to scrutinize what the officer did, rather than what he easily could’ve done. That his actions are obviously open to discussion and argument suggests that if he did “step over the line” he didn’t do so by very much, if at all.
Ok, once we get through your typical useless rambling, your position is what…that he did or did not step over the line? Or he just stepped over the line a little?
advertiser1, you do realize you can forgo reading anyone’s comments here don’t you? If you can’t respect somebody’s right to have his or her say, then just come out of the closet and say so. You do appreciate simple black and white solutions or responses correct?
Kicking and scratching like a wild animal? Police procedure is to restrain the girl. Take down and cuff.
We all agree that it would’ve been best for all concerned had kind and gently spoken words been enough to carry the day. Maybe someday this girl will demonstrate that they can, but it wasn’t true when she last had a chance to show us.
The kid has a penchant for fighting. I will not be surprised if in five or six years we read about her being sentence to some hard time for committing a violent crime.