Lawsuit alleging civil rights violation, false arrest filed on behalf of teenage girl body-slammed at Lancaster High School
A lawsuit was filed this week on behalf of a teenage girl who was captured on video being body-slammed by a school resource sheriff's deputy at Lancaster High School last year.
The lawsuit on behalf of plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe 1, was filed Wednesday against Los Angeles County, the sheriff's department, Deputy Daniel Acquilano, and the Antelope Valley Union High School District.
Doe's lawsuit alleges civil rights violations, assault, battery, false arrest, and intentional infliction of emotional distress and harassment, among other allegations, and seeks compensatory damages against all the defendants, as well as punitive damages against Acquilano.
"The assault has left this young girl physically and emotionally devastated," the lawsuit said. "Naturally, Jane Doe refuses to attend school out of fear, trauma and humiliation while … Acquilano continues to roam the campus, endangering other students."
The incident happened on Aug. 30, 2021 at Lancaster High School when the then-16-year-old girl refused a deputy's request to hand over her cell phone and began walking away, according to the lawsuit.
"After slamming her down, he straddles her face down on the ground, while she is screaming to call her mom," the lawsuit alleged. "The video captures school personnel standing around watching the incident, failing to intervene."
Facedown on the ground, Doe was pinned and straddled by the deputy for several minutes, according to the lawsuit.
"Horrified and in shock, Jane Doe repeatedly screamed that he get off of her and not touch her," the lawsuit claims. "Jane Doe continued pleading to be allowed to call her mother throughout the assault, but was denied the opportunity to do so."
The lawsuit says Doe was taken nearly 50 miles away to Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar, where her mother was instructed to pick her up at about 8 p.m. When Doe returned to school on Sept. 3, the lawsuit claimed Acquilano "continued to engage in highly inappropriate conduct by mocking, teasing and harassing her over the attack."
Because Acquilano remained at Lancaster High School, the lawsuit says Doe's mother had to find alternative education for her daughter through independent study.
A statement previously released by Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said Doe physically resisted the detention and so the deputy used force to take her into custody.
