Police officers using brutal tactics to subdue so-called aggressors is pretty much the norm, but it's still shocking to see an officer in full uniform grab a 14-year-old, 130-pound high school student by the throat and wrestle him to the ground—especially when the incident is caught on camera. That's exactly what happened at a high school in Round Rock, Texas, after officers were called in to de-escalate a shoving match between Gyasi Hughes and another student, reports KAXN.
On Thursday morning, Hughes and another student had a disagreement over some sports goggles. Hughes asked a friend to hold the goggles for him, but when he asked for them back the friend refused. Apparently Hughes began to go through his backpack, and that's when the shoving started. An assistant principal broke up the fight, but another teacher called two School Resource Officers (SROs) over to the scene.
One of the officers took Hughes aside and began to talk to him. According to the video, the two carried on a brief conversation before the officer extended his right hand, grabbed Hughes by the throat, spun him around, and brought him to the ground on his back. Up to that point, that conversation looked relatively calm; Hughes certainly didn't make any move toward the officer before he was subdued.
In a press statement, the Round Rock Police Department said:
Hughes said that the officer was aggressive even before grabbing him:
The incident is currently under review by RRPD.
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