Horace Mann Middle School security monitor caught on camera putting leg on student’s neck
EL PORTAL, Fla. March 9, 2022 A disturbing encounter was caught on video at a South Florida school showing a security monitor allegedly crossing the line.
A family said the guard had no right to treat their loved one that way. They also said they believe there’s at least one other video out there that shows more to the story.
Not only are they demanding answers, they’re also demanding action.
“Ya’ll, go to class. Ya’ll, go to class,” said a security guard in the cellphone video.
A scuffle broke out in the halls of Horace Mann Middle School, and the video captured an adult using his knee to hold down a student, at one point grabbing his neck.
The altercation was all over a jacket.
“I was going to take my hoodie off. What you talking about?” said a student in the cellphone video.
“You ain’t got to take it off. I’ll take it off for you,” said the security guard in the video.
“He moved his leg up to where my neck is, and his hands were on my neck. Then his knee touched my neck and was on there for like, five to six seconds,” said the student, who didn’t want to show his face on camera.
The teen described what he said happened after the security guard asked him to take off his zip-up jacket.
“And I was taking my hoodie off slow,” said the student.
That was when a second security guard went up to him.
“He was like, ‘Did you hear the man say, ‘Take off your hoodie?’ so as he came up to me, he became aggressive,” said the student.
The video showing the security guard trying to remove the hoodie was sent to his aunt and guardian Sabrina Height last Wednesday.
“You can see how aggressive and how angry he was over a jacket,” said Height.
She said her 14-year-old nephew should have complied when he was asked to take it off, but she said, the response to his refusal was over the top.
“How he’s over the child just like tussling with the child? How he has his knee on the child? How he’s like– the whole video disgusts me,” said Height. “I was frustrated, disgusted, hurt, ashamed, embarrassed.”
Parents at the school Monday are feeling the same way.
“That’s not right. Nobody should not be putting their hands on someone, especially a child,” said parent Rebecca Gonzales.
“All because he didn’t take his hoodie off? Yeah, that’s excessive, definitely excessive for a hoodie,” said parent Carlton McKally.
Student Anthony Johnson, who saw what happened, said the security guard they call Mr. Hilton watches out for everyone on campus.
“He’s a good guy. He’s a good guy. He helped me a lot,” said Johnson.
“With him being here, I felt more secure because I know he’s not going to let nothing happen to my son, which has happened before,” said Anthony’s mother, Candice Johnson.
Officials with Miami-Dade County Public Schools weren’t pleased either and released a statement, which reads, “The behavior portrayed in this video is difficult to watch and runs contrary to the comportment that is expected of all Miami-Dade County Public School employees … This individual has been removed from the school pending the outcome of the investigation.”
“That’s not good enough,” said Height.
She wants the security guard fired and arrested. She also wants to press charges.
“I don’t understand, like, had to do all of that for one hoodie jacket? He went way, way, way too far,” said Height.
The teen admits that he should have let them take the jacket and wishes that he would have complied, too.
But Height and the teen both agree and think that the security guard’s reaction was too much.
“With this security guard, I don’t feel comfortable around him, so I don’t want this to affect my education,” said the student.
“He was totally wrong for being disrespectful and defiant to that security guard, and they told him to do some stuff and how he was talking, I don’t condone that, but at the same time, obviously he was very upset and very angry,” said Height.
The security guard has been taken out of the school as officials investigate.
“I hope he pays consequences for what he did to me,” said the student.
“Right now, I’m trying to press charges on the security guard,” said Height. “I want that security guard arrested.”
Parents at the school said certain types of hoodies are not allowed at the school.
wvsn
