Guards suspended as video of attack on Oakland student surfaces

Two school security officers have been suspended and a criminal investigation is possible after the Oakland Unified School District’s new superintendent and police chief discovered security-camera footage showing what they say is an unprovoked attack on a high school student that was then covered up by former officials.

The January 2014 video obtained by The Chronicle on Friday shows a male student at Fremont High School leaning against a doorway when he is confronted by two security guards, one of whom shoves him from the back. They then put him in a choke hold and drag him, his arm twisted, into the school’s office.

After he attempts to flee, he is pushed against a wall and takes a swing. Then, largely off camera, according to district officials, one of the officers punches him multiple times. That the boy punched once and one of the officers punched three times is not in dispute, officials said.

At the time, district officials looked into the incident, but the written report does not reflect what the video shows, Superintendent Antwan Wilson said in an internal document distributed to district staff this week.

“The video reflects that the security officers initiated contact with the student, escalated the conflict, struck the student and used an improper technique to try and subdue him,” Wilson said in a public letter sent Friday to Fremont High staff and parents.

'Angered by what I saw’

A still photo from a video from January 2014 shows school security officers at Fremont High School in Oakland using force to subdue a student. A still photo from a video from January 2014 shows school security officers at Fremont High School in Oakland using force to subdue a student. Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Guards suspended as video of attack on Oakland student surfaces 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

“When I watched the video, I was angered by what I saw; not only the excessive force, but also the apparent response of some of the adults who either failed to act on behalf of the student during and/or after the incident,” he wrote. The security footage shows people going about business normally as the struggle unfolds in the school office.

After the incident, the student was suspended for five days. The security officers, who have not been identified, received no disciplinary action, Oakland schools Police Chief Jeff Godown said.

“The only narrative in entire (district police report) that had any truth to it is the child's statement,” said the chief. The district has its own police force, which is not common even in urban areas. The men involved were not police officers but security officers, which are posted at middle and high schools. The district’s former police chief, James Williams, could not be reached for comment.

Godown said the video shows the security officers putting the boy in a carotid artery arm hold, something police officers are trained to do, but not district police or the security officers. The boy was choking, he said.

“I just don’t see any reason for them to have physically touched him or pushed him,” he said. “You see the kid punch the (school security officer), which he admits because he's choking to death.”

After legal inquiries from the student’s family a week ago, Wilson and Godown, who is also new to the district, reviewed the case file and video and immediately suspended the two security officers. They forwarded the video to Oakland police and the Alameda County district attorney’s office for a possible criminal investigation.

Reopened investigation

They also reopened the district investigation, with the goal of determining who knew about the incident, who saw the video and who failed to act.

The video shows several adults in the office during the physical altercation. One person enters as the student is being restrained, collects a paper and leaves.

“This event is going to become public and will elicit strong reactions — anyone who views this video and understands the circumstances of what happened in its wake should be justifiably angry,” the internal district summary of the incident stated. “Given a history of incidents as well as recent violence, this revelation has the potential to inflame racial, geographic and other tensions across our school communities, which we have to address and ensure do not lead to further violence or danger.”

Part of their concern is that the boy is Latino and the two security officers are African American, district officials said.

Wilson noted that the incident at Fremont High occurred just a few months before the assault on a student in a wheelchair by a school security officer at Oakland High School in May that resulted in criminal charges filed against the officer.

On Friday afternoon, several district officials met with Fremont teachers, staff and community leaders to discuss what happened.

“I’d say the tone was solemn,” district spokesman Troy Flint said. “I think people were absorbing the information.” Officials also planned to hold community meetings at Fremont High next week to answer questions and discuss staff conduct toward students.

Apologized to family

The superintendent, who started in July, told staff that all previous investigations related to excessive force by school security officers would be reviewed. In addition, district officials contacted the student’s family Friday to apologize.

Wilson reiterated the apology in the internal memo to district staff and leadership.

“We are deeply sorry and apologize to (the student) and his family, as well as the OUSD community at large,” he wrote. “What happened in this January 2014 incident is absolutely unacceptable. This should not and cannot occur anywhere in OUSD, ever.”

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker