Police in Kenosha, Wisconsin are investigating an incident at a local school that saw off-duty police officer Shawn Guetschow put his knee on a 12-year-old girl’s neck to restrain her during a lunchtime fight.
A redacted video released by Kenosha Unified School District and shared by AP shows the melee, which took place in the school cafeteria on 4 March.
In the footage, Guetschow is seen trying to break up the fight, before scuffling with the girl and then kneeling on her neck for about a minute and a half. The 37-year-old then handcuffs the girl and walks her out of the cafeteria.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has, meanwhile, reported that Guetschow, who was initially placed on paid administrative leave, resigned from his part-time security job with the school on Tuesday.
In his resignation letter, he reportedly bemoaned the fact that the school district had declined to support him, adding that the incident had placed a heavy burden on his family.
The girl’s father, Jerrel Perez, for his part argued that his distraught daughter is currently in therapy, contacting a neurologist over her injuries.