School District Lied About Violent Police Encounter

According to reports, a black student was allegedly thrown to the ground unjustly and the school district wasn’t honest about what happened.

After the original incident occurred, cellphone video spread online, and the footage contradicted the school district’s official reporting of what happened. In response, the ACLU decided to sue the Clark County School District to make the body-camera footage from police officers present during the ordeal public. In December, the request was approved by a district judge.

That’s when the truth about what happened really came out. One student was being detained when another student walked by and started recording the incident on his phone. The police officer reportedly grabbed the second student, threw him onto the ground, and then put a knee into the child’s back. As he went about doing so, he was also yelling at everyone else to back up and clear the area.

The officer could be heard making verbal threats like, “You wanted my attention, you got it,” and “You want next?” to some of the students.

The school district attempted to downplay the incident. They said that there were reports of a firearm in the area, so the officer’s use of force was justified. Now that the body camera footage is available, the public can decide for themselves if reasonable force was used during the ordeal.

What Rights Do You Have During and After an Arrest?

You know the motto – ‘innocent until proven guilty’, but is this standard really upheld in America? It certainly doesn’t feel like it when you’re the one facing arrest. You lose your temporary freedom, get taken to jail, and won’t be able to even tell your side of the story until you get a hearing and face a judge.

That said, you still maintain some rights even when you have been accused of committing a crime and arrested. Here are a few rights that you should be aware of:

• You have the right to be informed about your rights before getting interrogated
• You have the right to remain silent
• You have the right to talk to a lawyer
• You have the right to have an attorney present if you get questioned
• You have the right to a safe and secure environment as an inmate
• You have the right to express condition complaints as an inmate
• You have the right to appropriate medical and mental health care as needed

Do you believe that your rights might have been recently violated during an arrest or while you were incarcerated? If so, then it’s important that you get in touch with a lawyer as soon as possible. Since you always have the right to representation, you can request a state-appointed lawyer’s counsel if you can’t afford to hire one privately.

This step is important because charges could get dropped if your rights were violated during your arrest. You also deserve to have your rights upheld even if you have been convicted of a crime and you’re currently incarcerated.

To speak one-on-one with an attorney in Las Vegas about your rights, schedule a call with our office now.