Oakland High guard charged in abuse of student in wheelchair

The redacted ID card of Oakland High School security guard Marchell Mitchell, 23. Mitchell was fired after allegedly handcuffing, punching and dumping a student out of his wheelchair. The redacted ID card of Oakland High School security guard Marchell Mitchell, 23. Mitchell was fired after allegedly handcuffing, punching and dumping a student out of his wheelchair. Photo: Oakland Unified School District, Courtesy Photo: Oakland Unified School District, Courtesy Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Oakland High guard charged in abuse of student in wheelchair 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

(05-29) 21:09 PDT OAKLAND -- An Oakland High School security guard has been fired and charged with child abuse for allegedly handcuffing, punching and dumping a student out of his wheelchair, school officials said Thursday.

Marchell Mitchell, 23, and a second school resource officer at Oakland High School were urging students who were running late to go to class about 9 a.m. May 19. Mitchell encountered freshman Francisco Martinez, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, officials said.

Mitchell ordered the student to move toward his next class, but the student "either refused to comply or was slow to do so," Principal Matin Abdel-Qawi wrote in a letter to parents.

Mitchell then took the handles of Martinez's wheelchair and pushed him toward class, prompting Martinez to object and try to slap away the guard's hands, officials said. Mitchell then handcuffed Martinez and continued to roll him, and the student turned around in his wheelchair and spat in Mitchell's face, authorities said.

"The security officer then struck the student several times before dumping him from his wheelchair onto the floor, at which time another security officer intervened to restrain his partner," Abdel-Qawi wrote.

Oakland schools police investigated the incident and arrested Mitchell. Alameda County prosecutors have charged him with inflicting corporal injury to a child, a felony. He is free on $10,000 bail and is to appear in Superior Court in Oakland on June 16.

The Oakland Unified School District, which had hired him in November as a substitute security guard, fired him the day of the incident, said spokesman Troy Flint.

"I'm shocked and deeply hurt by this behavior and apologize on behalf of the staff at Oakland High," the principal wrote. "This incident is not reflective of the kind of culture we cherish at our school or how we treat one another."

He added, "It was an aberration, but a severe one, and I assure you I'm treating this with the utmost concern."