A seventh-grader at Myrtle Grove K-8 School in Miami Gardens was reportedly "body-slammed" by a school resource officer, an incident that is now making waves and raising questions about police conduct in schools. The student, 14-year-old Anez Donaldson, and her attorney allege excessive force was used during a confrontation that began as an argument with a parent during dismissal time last Wednesday.
According to Local 10, Donaldson attended a news conference with her attorney, Larry Handfield, and emotionally recounted the pain she's been enduring since the incident. "The way I landed, it really hurts," Donaldson said, detailing ongoing difficulties with sleep due to her injuries. Handfield criticized the actions of Officer Adriel Green, claiming he was "too aggressive and out of control."
A police report acquired by NBC Miami tells a different story, reporting that Donaldson "intentionally struck Officer A. Green against his will by physically pushing the officer," and "resisted arrest by bracing, tensing, and pulling her arms away from the officer." Donaldson countered these claims, stating during an interview with NBC6, "I was just trying to gasp for air because I couldn't breathe at the time."
There's reportedly only one video of the incident, captured by the body camera worn by the officer, which Handfield has requested to thoroughly examine. Meanwhile, the family is preparing to file a lawsuit seeking justice and public awareness. "No child like this should have had to endure what this young lady has had to endure," Handfield said in a statement obtained by Local 10.
Miami-Dade Public Schools has acknowledged the situation, noting that the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department is investigating the incident. Subsequent to the altercation, Officer Green was reportedly removed from his post at the school. Both the physical and emotional fallout for Donaldson appears significant, with the seventh-grader expressing reluctance to return to the school: "I don’t really want to go back to school, to be honest," she told Local 10.
