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Student allegedly put in chokehold by school security

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Marks were left around Guillermo’s neck after a security guard put the 17-year-old student in a chokehold at Littlerock High School on Nov. 13, according to Guillermo’s mother. (Contributed photo by Loraine Villavicencio)
Marks were left around Guillermo’s neck after a security guard put the 17-year-old student in a chokehold at Littlerock High School on Nov. 13, according to Guillermo’s mother. (Contributed photo by Loraine Villavicencio)

By Littlerock resident Loraine Villavicencio

My 17-year-old son, Guillermo, is an 11th grade student at Littlerock High School. Guillermo was the student assaulted by security guards at the school on Thursday, Nov. 13.

That day Guillermo was attending an assembly, and the security guards approached him and another student and told them that they were already present at the previous assembly and then asked them to leave. Guillermo told the security officer, C. Leonhardt, that he had not attended the previous assembly. What Guillermo stated to the security officer was true and verified by the assistant principal, F. Tremonti.

(Photo by Loraine Villavicencio)
(Photo by Loraine Villavicencio)

The security officer and Guillermo went back and forth over this information. The security officer asked Guillermo to leave the assembly with him. Guillermo refused, so the security officer grabbed Guillermo’s left arm. Guillermo yanked his arm away and in the process ended up elbowing the security officer.

Because Guillermo would not leave with him, the security guard placed his arms around Guillermo’s neck in a chokehold and lifted him up off of his seat in the bleachers in the chokehold.

Guillermo continued to struggle with the security guard to get out of the chokehold, and both he and the security guard fell on the bleachers.

Another security guard came and lifted Guillermo off of C. Leonhardt, and then they hand-cuffed Guillermo and took him to the office. Guillermo was suspended from school for five days for telling the truth and refusing to leave the assembly with the security guards. Nothing happened to the other student who also refused to leave the assembly.

(Photo by Loraine Villavicencio)
(Photo by Loraine Villavicencio)

On the report given to me about the incident, there is nothing stated about a chokehold. They have called it a “bear hug”.

Students at Littlerock High School have stated that the security guards put students in chokeholds all the time. I have photographs of the marks left on my son around his neck, on his chest, his wrists, and leg.

I tried to report this to the Palmdale Sheriff Station on Thursday, Nov. 13 (the date of the incident). I spoke to the Watch Commander, and he stated that it was a “civil matter” and would not take the report.

I do not know the name of the security company that is hired by Antelope Valley Union High School District to do security at their schools. We did a great deal of searching on the internet to find the name of the security company, but all we found out is that they are hired by the AVUHS district.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The AV Times.

Email letters@www.theavtimes.com to submit a story to Your Issues | Your News.

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Editor’s note: The AV Times has reached out to officials at Littlerock High School and the Antelope Valley Union High School District. We will update this letter with a response from them, if it becomes available.

Filed Under: Opinion

189 comments for "Student allegedly put in chokehold by school security"

  4. Enough of this goofy story. Please put up something with substance and archive this nonsense!

    Please!

  6. this is my home turff
    none of you bleeding hearts have
    been punched in the face by five
    diffrent students. I
    f this kid resisted
    he got off light”’
    if its your kids acting out you should
    be in jail with them

    • Another Palmdale parenting experiment that has gone wrong, do to entitlement. How many times have we’ve heard that same old excuse of that cant be my kid, he’s never done anything like this before. Trust me this wasn’t his first time to the dance.

      • How sad for people to make comments like these!?!
        This is why our Schools are like the streets. UNSAFE!!!
        Our kids have to defend themselves where ever they go and hope there alive to talk about at the end of the day.

          • What’s even more comforting is knowing you believe it’s ok for children to be insubordinate and not listen to authority.. GREAT model citizens being raised. Guess my tax dollars will pay for 3 hits and a cot in a few years SMDH

      • This is why smaller schools where the principal and security actually get to know each student work out better. It is also easier to parent a child in a smaller school, because you get to know everyone as well. I think it seems Mom was pretty involved if she wrote this up. If what she says is true, it should be criminal and either way shame on the sheriffs (or the person at the phone) for not doing an investigation.

  7. glad people are so smart on what they wud do and not do. The kid was skipping class which is a violation. He was asked to leave but no he wanted to show off. Then that’s ok as there are only six or so guards to watch after three to four thousand students. Then of course that’s ok as the students are so well behaved.

  9. Bottom line is kids need to respect and obey authority PERIOD. If this young man was ASKED to go with security he shouldn’t have been DISOBEDIENT. It would have been worked out in his favor IF he had LISTENED. Just because the student was “right” DOESNT mean you just get to do what you want. Security has a job and its to protect THOUSANDS of students each day. ONE man THOUSANDS of students.. Do the math and teach YOUR CHILDREN RESPECT PERIOD

    • So, let me get this straight. If an authority figure asks a student to do something illegal/immoral they should be obedient without question? I believe that kind of logic has landed some authority figures in prison. The student DID LISTEN, and citizens (students) in this country have RIGHTS. Authority figures can’t just order people around and expect them to obey. By the way, those same authority figures HAVE to follow LAWS, rules and employer policies. If the ONE person cannot handle the responsibilities of the job then perhaps they could find employment elsewhere. Maybe you could offer some strategies on how to teach respect.

      • He DID listen?? I believe the article says that he refused and that he actually fought the officer back so unless you’re reading another article then maybe You should withhold comments. It clearly says that he did NOT listen (that is what refused means), to the officer. He was insubordinate disobedient disrespectful and yes I do believe that he got what he deserved because he should’ve listened. iIf he would’ve listened in the first place then it would’ve gotten worked out and he would’ve been able to go back into the assembly. But because he was raised to be disobedient to authority he got his a** kicked.

        • The article says the guard grabbed the student after he answered his questions. The security person had no right to grab the student’s arm. He pulled his arm away because he was touched FIRST. It was only a verbal discussion up to that point, according to the article. This is a public forum and I will NOT withhold my comments! Listen and refuse do not mean the same thing. Security persons are not officers. They DO NOT have peace officer powers according to the penal code. I think sometimes that’s where they get into trouble. They should leave the police work up to the police/deputies. I didn’t know security persons are allowed to kick minor student’s a@@es to get them to follow directions. Does Littlerock HS allow that? Does AVUHSD?

          • the security guard has every right to detain a unruly CHILD.. Did you forget this is a CHILD and he should RESPECT authority? I can see my tax dollars put to good use soon once he’s arrested for not following commands in the REAL WORLD.. Bottom line is he has NO respect for authority and got WHAT HE DESERVED.. Enough said, I’m done debating with someone who obviously condones UNRULY CHILDREN.. SMH

          • Have you forgotten that this “article” was written by this students mother??? I suggest you find the comment that was actually written by another student that witnessed the whole incident. The student was asked to step out, he should have stepped out.

      • Hyperbole can only get you so far.
        The argument you are making is beyond silly. Nowhere was your boy asked to do ANYTHING illegal. His striking and fighting against the officer IS illegal and has CONSEQUENCES!
        Maybe he should face consequences at home, then the school wouldn’t have to discipline him.

        • AMEN.. Home training starts at HOME so the public doesn’t have to deal with your disobedient unruly public display of ignorance

        • the article plainly said tha the “vice principle”,confirmed the student was truthful, the NAZI security person had no business touching the student..or continuing with his NAZI behavior…I am so sick of the NAZI mentality of cops and non cops thinking they can do what ever they fell like ….thanx to OBAMA and his hommies he puts in…HOLDER…everyone has to tread lightly or get screwed over.

          • Guillermo told the security officer, C. Leonhardt, that he had not attended the previous assembly. What Guillermo stated to the security officer was true and verified by the assistant principal, F. Tremonti.

            That is what the vice principal stated was true. Nothing about the rest of the incident after that statement being made.

          • In order to get to the fact that the child was being honest they first had to follow PROCEDURE. Which means when the CHILD was asked to leave HE SHOULD HAVE LEFT and gotten clarification. The CHILD has rules to follow and was insubordinate and GOT WHAT HE DESERVED for NOT FOLLOWING DIRECTION as I said in previous comments.. And by the way~ what the heck does Obama have to do with any of this BRIGHT DUMB DUMB??!!

  10. The people that work as “security” are not real security guards. They literally are glorified noon duty’s with no training whatsoever.

    • I understand Littlerock has a “director” of security, and that AVUHSD has a person in charge of security for all the high schools. Is security different from “security” or are they same? Lupe, how do you know these things?

  11. By no means do i condone students being disrespectful, fighting or being defiant in school. Now having said that, my daughter who is now a freshman at LHS has been involved in 2 fights this year. The first time this happened when she was not a studient at LHS and the fight took place after school and off campus. And although she knows this type of behavior is not acceptable or tolerated by her parents, siblings or family she went ahead and was involved in the fight. The young lady she fought was unfortunate and never had a chance to defend herself. Even so my daughter came away from this incident with several cuts & bruises to her face & neck and for about 3 days suffered from a swelling around one eye and a very sore/stiff neck. The injuries she suffered where for the most part inflicted as LHS Security pulled her away from the other young lady and tried to restrain her in a choke hold until they handcuffed her as they held her against the fence surrounding a house. We still have the video taken by a fellow student/friend of theirs that clearly shows how the LHS security handled the situation on this day.
    Now as I stated we do not condone her behavior and although we are all too aware that the students at this age are anything but easy to deal with, we wish the security would remember that they are minors (14 – 17 yrs old) and think or hope that there is some better way to deal with these type of incidences. I will also state that in the second fight my daughter was involved in last week LHS security did better in how they handled the altercation by just stepping between the students and pushing them apart.

    • Hold on to that video! Maybe the Times will ask to see it one day. Absolutely. Just because they are security, they still are the adults and they need to do their job professionally. They must not forget the people they serve are minors. If they cannot do the job, they need to do something else. What else is going on that isn’t getting reported? Doesn’t AVUHSD care about it’s students? Does the school board know about this? Is it happening at other schools?

  12. I am pretty sure it’s just a matter of time before this poor little innocent boy gets manhandled by the police! If he can’t fallow the rules then he will fail in life! parents teach your kids dicipline and respect… Security guards are in schools because parents are raising a generation of [removed]

    • When I was in Palmdale high, we always told the principal and teachers that the security guards hired to keep us safe were dealing drugs. They claimed to do an investigation AKA asking the security guards if they sold drugs and point out the students that told. Years after I left the SAME security guard was caught in a drug sting! LISTEN< the only thing this school will listen to is MONEY and LOSS OF Money. This should have been treated with seriousness when the woman called the cops. They always refer to things as "civil matter". Does that mean children have no rights? Sue sue sue! And to the person who claims this person needs to obey- if he didn't do anything wrong in the first place he shouldn't back down- backing down is taught strait for the government to leave citizens defenseless! NEVER back down when you did not do wrong, and stand your ground. Make an example of these people who work with children and do as they please. They have no education and get paid very little, they could care less about the children at schools.

      • At Palmdale too? LOL When my daughter was at AV the guards were a joke to say the least. 1 or 2 seemed to be on it (especially this one older lady was really good), but most of them spent the day flirting/harassing female students, letting the troubled ones hang out on the carts all day with them and more than a few whispers of drug dealing there as well. In my experience they all seemed like instead of bringing the teens up to a higher level, everyone just wanted the day to end as fast as possible and to get out of there.

  13. If the parent has put her hands on him she would be in jail & dealing with the social worker but since it was a security officer I guess that makes it okay

  14. The security gurds are stupid I’m in 9th grade and I see them smoking pot aka weed after school the seniors give it to them

    • That’s [removed] seniors get really close to security but in no way do they give security weed stop lieing and I went to LHS if your doing what your suppose to there would be no reason to get in trouble right and it is the disrespectful generation your there to learn not be a low life . proud graduate of 2014 And security is what I miss the most.

      • Well said, I agree with you, Sofia Gonzalez. Show respect. If that boy would’ve listen none of this would’ve happen.

  15. Man [removed] them security guard they think they can put tere hands on anyone anyway they want that’s [removed]!!!!!

  16. Those ass security guards chose who theyre nice to i swear. You see people they talk to walking around with headphones on infront of them and they dont say [removed] but when a random student the dont talk too walks by with headphone they take them away….

  17. I know this security guard personally from being a student at Littlerock. And it takes a lot for him to have to put you in a hold. He is one of the most reasonable security guards there. And every student littlerock high school always tries to stay for both pep rally’s so there is a reason why he knows and he is one of the security guys that knows you by face knows you by name so if he ask you to leave that he was in the right. And either way he got Suspended for hitting the security guard when a security guard grabs your arm elbow him on accident is not possible because every security guard grabs you above the elbow when they grab you by the arm at Littlerock.

    • Security at Littlerock high school shouldn’t be putting their hands on anyone unless someone’s life is in jeopardy. Security at nearby districts aren’t allowed to. Maybe someone should look into the policies of the security at LHS/the district.

      • Sounds like mommy want to whitewash her little thuglette and make the authorities look like the bad guys “who put their hands on their little angel!”

        Sorry, I don’t buy it.

        A one sided article from a hardly impartial writer isn’t news; its a personal vendetta. I was in school back in the day and when I misbehaved, I preferred the rump whoopin from the Dean, alternately, Vice Principle, over having them call my mom. Better to get a little man-handled than what my mom and dad would dish out.

        I grew up and prospered. Little protected thuggy will likely become a future prison occupant if mommy refuses to see what is happening.

        • No one is asking you to buy anything. Again, this is not “back in the day”, this is now. Perhaps you could look into how administrators are disciplining our children at the elementary/high schools these days. It’s very different. No more punitive, or as you say, rump whoopin. There’s this new term called “restorative justice.” Check it out. Maybe we should be asking the administrators/district why no accountability.

      • This is nothing new, the Guards at QHHS are the same, if they like you then you are cool with them, you can break every rule from dress code to head phones to walking around campus to ditch a class, but if you are not in the CLICK with them watch out!!…They will be all over you, they try to be COPS and think they can do as they want, which the VP always listens to the school RENT A COP, the Kid is never right. Kids get suspended and nothing happens to the RENT A COP!….Its sad to say but the guards are just as bad if not worsen when it comes to BULLYING STUDENTS…. Respect goes both ways Kids need to give it and so does STAFF MEMBERS to the students.

        • Well, the “bullying” needs to stop. Kids don’t just bully, adults bully as well. There’s a lot of anti-bullying press going on right now. Who knows, maybe some investigative reporter will do a story on the security at AVUHSD! What do you think? Ask you friends to share their experiences. Who knows?

  19. This would never happen if this kid was doing what he was supposed to do. Security is there for a reason! People need to teach your kids respect… Ask yourself WHY DOES THE SCHOOLS NEED SECURITY??? Because 80 percent of the kids have NO discipline at home! Stop babying your kids for God sakes and hold them accountable for their actions in this situation. And all these parents that say their kids had problems with security…. If your kid would go to school and do what they are supposed to be doing, then why would they even have to deal with security? OH MY POOR LITTLE BABY… Y’all are seriously raising a generation of turds! SMASHVILLE!!

  20. To be honest, these look like marks from a fight more than a typical hold done by a security guard putting someone in a vascular hold.

    If these marks game from a hold, it was most likely because the security guard was in the middle of a fight in close quarters with the kid and ended up putting them in an arm triangle choke. It would only explain the mark on the back of his head.

    If the security guard had grabbed the student in a dangerous and aggressive way, often bruising would be indicated on the arm as well.

  21. Was it a choke hold or just a neck hold?
    A choke hold is meant to cut off air supply.
    A neck hold allows for breathing as the subjects throat is in the little space provided by the bend in the elbow.

    • That’s a great question. Security persons should not be using any kind of any neck hold. If they don’t know what they’re doing, it’s very easy to cut-off the air supply. Most law enforcement agencies don’t even use choke holds. What makes untrained security people think they should be doing it?

      • A good old fashioned headlock will control and elbowing and kicking punk better than anything on earth. If he likes fighting with authority figures, try that crap with a real cop and your next address is jail, or at worse the morgue.

        A choke hold is a very specific hold and will leave the recipient unconscious within 15 seconds.

        And, the school security people not only have training, they have on-going training.

  22. The first problem is, why is security in schools in the first place? That’s because we have allowed kids to be out control and taken away Vice Principles authority to control their school. Now they have to have security on campus to control these defiant thugs. Security, like Police, are a REACTIONARY force. They react to the situation. He questioned the student who said he was supposed to be there. Security challenged the student and said let’s go verify your answer. That’s when it went sideways. The student refused go with security which would have never happened 30yrs ago.

    Change this to same idiot kid in the movie theater who is sitting through a second movie. If the idiot kid refuses to go with security to verify his tickets, do you expect security to do nothing? Security tried to grab the students arm and the student reacted violently by pulling away and at the same time, managed to hit security. Again, security REACTED to the student.

    Now you can see why the school has refused to do anything. There’s nothing to do except suspend the student for defiance and acting in a violent manner. Can’t wait to see next year when the student is out of school and is considered an adult. If that’s how he’s been taught to deal with things, he will have a criminal record in no time.

    • Look i have 2 kids and they both attended high school at LHS and they have always had problems with the security guards crossing lines they don’t have a right too. I can tell you my son was in special ed. at LHS and we had a contract with the school about what means of expressions my son could do and one thing was writing in a journal and it would be kept in the therapists office and it would be kept private not even the therapist would read it.. Well one day i got a call that my son was being held in the nurses office and i needed to get up there right away, so i got flying up there to find my son, nurse, my sons aid, principal, therapist and about 5 other people sitting around passing his journal around and bitching about what was in it i flipped my lid you want a kid to trust you but yet you lie to him BS. The security guard had my son in a corner and his hands on his neck he was lucky i didn’t kick his ass.. Another time my daughter had a diabetic episode and an idiot security guard after being trained numerous times on how to handle a diabetic made her walk with a low blood sugar from one end of campus to the other….I think there needs to be a rethink on who these schools hire as security guards..Yes this kids was not listening ok but the guards have walkies and should have radioed up to the principal and asked if this kid was suppose to be there or not before putting his damn hands on him..Could have saved everyone a lot of hassle so for the cops not doing their jobs welcome to the palmate police force they don’t do anything unless a donuts is in front of their faces…You want the cops to investigate demand the DA to investigate then they will do their jobs. A substitute teacher rips an insulin pump out of my daughters stomach because she thinks it is a iPod but there is a red emergency folder on her desk that tells her to read me urgent with my daughters picture on it but she doesn’t the school takes a laid back view of the situation and gives my daughter 2,500 to settle and tells us they guarantee this wont happen again but yet it shouldn’t have happened in the first place because 3 months earlier we had a meeting to discuss how to deal with emergencies in the class room and i told everyone in the meeting about a student in Florida had this happen and they assured me this would never happen in our school. This is just a few problems with LHS so a security guard getting out of control as a parent does not surprise me in the slightest. AVUHSD needs to take a close look at this school and the staff running it and make they changes to allow students a safe and stress free environment to learn.

      • I was with you until your cops/donuts statement. After reading that you have no credibility in my eyes.

      • ann, what you described is the reason people file “due process” complaints against districts when their students receive special education services. It’s a “right” parents have. You could have also contacted the U.S. department, office of special education and complained to them. They could have investigated it. School districts have to be very careful how treat students who have IEPs. They know this. They get called on it all the time.

    • Vice-principals still have authority. They just make excuses for not being able to use it. By the way, the idea of controlling students is just an illusion. Their human beings. Effective policing is proactive as well as reactive. It’s not 30 years ago, and it didn’t happen at the movies. It happened at a public school. The employees are expected to behave as professionals, not like thugs. The security persons do not have to touch people to get them to follow their directions (not orders). Perhaps it’s time for some retraining, or training.

      The school has many options. Conducting a thorough investigation is one good option. Hopefully the student will have people with more positive attitudes to prepare him for adulthood.

    • I totally agree with “ive seen it all” don’t know why my comment ended up below something else……

  23. Sounds like Guillermo was being defiant. When you’re a child in school, you are to do as you’re asked. He could have left the assembly then, nicely asked a teacher of huge could return. Why have you taught your son to be disrespectful to his elders?
    This seems like a clear case of bad parenting. It is easy to see in the picture that you have also allowed a17 year old child to make life changing alterations to his body by stretching his ears. Allowing a child to do something like this is also giving them permission to carry themselves with the attitude to match their appearance.
    You need to take a long look at your own parenting to see where you went wrong. Its a shame that respectful children have to go to school with kids like this.

    • What do body modifications have to do with anything here? I have a couple and I got in to UC Davis with a 3.9 GPA so you can’t assume he’s bad because he did that to his ears. There are successful people that have body modifications. YOU CAN’T ALWAYS BLAME THE STUDENT. A few years ago a security guard at QHHS killed a student and he said the student was “arguing with him” just like this security did. If he would have died, you’d probably still be blaming him.

    • Sounds like the security persons were abusive and unprofessional. When you are an adult in school you are a model for the students and you must behave maturely and professionally. Who trains the security persons? What we look like on the exterior is no reflection of how people carry themselves. Why did your parents teach you to be so judgmental?

  24. The kid should have listened to begin with instead of argue. This whole thing could have been avoided if he listened. he could have left and explained his story to the appropriate staff member. Instead he elbowed the security in the face during a struggle that could have been avoided. Everyone wants to make the kid look like he was victim but security doesn’t go around choking kids for no reason…

    • It was a pep rally, it was meant for the students to enjoy so Guillermo had the right to be there. The security guard should have backed off. The only reason he was elbowed was because Guillermo pulled his arm away, the Security guard had no reason to grab him in the first place. And yes some people do grab people for no reason because they lose their temper.

  26. a while back while I was attending Lhs I was in a predicament with the same security guard and I was suspended for it

  27. Obviously, the security guard doesn’t know how to control an out of control student. He didn’t have to use a choke hold, and he, the school, principal, etc., all know this full well.
    A simple warning then a write-up would have sufficed, but this is just normal nowadays, and all over this country; beating/murdering young people.
    I believe an investigation should be held asap.

    • wow. warning and a write up? you are really out of touch with the youth nowadays, toadys youth just see a piece of paper as exactly that. a piece of paper. mostly because the parents don’t follow up with it, or the school never notifies the parents that the student received the reprimand in the first place.

      like I said students see a piece of paper as exactly that… a piece of paper.

      • Really??? A write up??? He is damn near an adult! Let’s put poor little Johnny in the time out. WHATEVER! This is what is wrong with our great country! Make this young man follow the rules! Period. PEOPLE STOP BABYING YOUR KIDS! Give the dicipline and teach them some respect!!!! Guess what? In a couple years it’s going to be a police officer man handling your baby!

    • I wish that were true, these kids are so aggressive and so violent. There is no respect anywhere. My child has never been in trouble, because he listens! This kid clearly doesn’t respect authority and refused to listen. Now poor baby has a few marks on him..life lesson. When an officer tells you to do something, you do it!

  28. As a teenager I will agree this kid was way out of line and disrespecfull clearly his parents didn’t teach him was respect for authority means
    . My mother taught me as a little kid to follow directions and to repspect my teachers and school staff. The story has been twisted into making the school staff looking incapable of doing their jobs and turns the subject from his son’s stupid actions and his very poor parenting. This is completely focused on a “poor baby” stance the 17 year old, a year from being a legal adult, has the ability to know right from wrong. He has no excuse for his actions and let’s face it when it comes down to it if this kid has to face real police officers no one is gonna care if he is injured.The school security was assulted by the near legal adult and had to contain the situation to the best of their ability.

  29. This mother is NOT trying to get attention, sympathy, or money. She wants to make sure her son is safe at school, and she wants to make sure that this doesn’t happen to other kids. Have we forgotten that a choke hold can cut off circulation and kill you? I am a teacher, and I have kids that don’t listen to me all the time, that does NOT give me the right to put them in a choke hold, or for that matter, put my hands on them what-so-ever! This situation could have been handled differently. They didn’t even take his statement, believed every word that the security guards said! This needs to, at least, be investigated thoroughly, and his side of the story needs to be heard. He wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was attending an assembly like he was supposed to. Last I heard, that is called LISTENING. Don’t make assumptions about this mother or this child. If this is what is happening in our schools, are we okay with that? Next week, when a child dies on Littlerock’s campus from being placed in a choke hold, you all might have a different story to say, or will it still be that he DESERVED it! The police or sheriffs are NOT allowed to use a choke hold either, why should a security company at a high school be allowed to do so on children?

      • I completely agree. He should have listened. The problem is that kids these days have no respect for anyone of authority. Well there are consequences for not listening and now he has learned (I hope) them.

        • Ok maybe he should have listened but if all Guillermo did was talk to the security officer he had no reason to put his hands on Guillermo. Even if you come back at me and say that Guillermo elbowed him, you’d be wrong because that accidentally happened when the security grabbed him..No where in this did it say Guillermo raised him voice or yelled, it said he argued, he could have been doing it in a calm manner but the security decided to get violent.

          • Security grabbed Guillermo’s arm to escort him out. But Guillermo decided to disrespect and fight back. Therefore Guillermo was WRONG! Boy needs to be learn some respect.

  30. He most likely had it coming some kids have no respect for the staff at these schools. Looking for a free ride in a taxed school system because I’d put money on it this kid amounts to nothing.

    • Whether this is true or not.
      You can’t seriously sit there and say that the student had it coming.
      If we send our children, brother/sister, niece/nephew we want them to be safe.
      Yes, now and days these youngsters are out of control but that doesn’t give any security or staff member the right to treat any student the way this student was.
      Once again, whether this is true or not.. no one deserves that.

      • I work for a school and was pushed by a male student just today!! What is it I should do in that situation? Jet him keep pushing me, antagonizing me? That’s exactly what a lot of these kids do.

    • It appears the staff may not respect the students either. You have to show respect if you expect to receive it.

  31. Upon reading this article, I find it hard to believe that security personnel would have gone so far as to engage into an extreme display of physical altercation over such trivial matters as afornentioned above. It feels that there are major plot holes within this story. Like a majority of everyone else, I also believe that this entire situation could have been avoided if the student would have just calmly complied for the time being while the situation was sorted out. From my own personal biased opinion from attending school in the AV district between the 2008-2012 year, I find it hard to believe that he told the whole truth. It feels more like this story is trying to favor towards his defense. From experiences from what I’ve seen throughout my high school years, it seems that most kids in this current generation seem to be growing more and more defiant and forgetting about what respect towards authority and towards others mean. Currently as an engineering student at Cal State University, I find it quite disheartening and embarassing to read that situations like these still occur from the district of which I am an alumni of.

    Of course this is just a biased opinion and the only ones that know the whole truth are the staff of LHS, the student body (since this all occurred during an assembly I presume?) and the subject of this article himself.

  32. Well, if you would like to know what really happened, an unbiased account, this is it. This happened right behind me in an assembly towards respect for one another (kind of ironic huh?) Well the student was asked to stand up because the security guard had believed he was in the 1st assembly prior to this one (students can only attend one assembly) Well, the student then gave an attitude back saying “No I wasnt, you can ask my teacher” So the security guard said okay, let’s go find out, and the student refused to get up. So the security guard put his hand on his shoulder (JUST PUT HIS HAND ON HIS SHOULDER) and the student quickly smacked it off, got up and pushed the security guard, and that’s when the security guard took action, and grabbed him to cuff his hands behind his back. The student made such a struggle, the bleachers shook. So then the security fell back wards, and the student got on top of him and attempted to punch him. That’s when two other security guards stepped in to cuff him. The student was then walked out of the gym. That’s really what happened. So before you post about your son getting “allegedly put into a chokehold” maybe you should review the school handbook with him and explain you don’t resist when a security guard makes an order at you.

    • This is probably the most accurate account I have read so far. Some where in the middle. I do not believe for one second the security guard was being beaten on the ground or that kids were fighting prior to the altercation.

      • You obviously have not spent a lot of time on today’s High School Campus’. You obviously don’t read newspapers of High School Students killing other students. Sad. When you have a rowdy campus, you have to have Security Officer’s.

    • I suppose you were there. He shouldn’t have laid a hand on him. There were other ways to handle this. It doesn’t excuse touching a student’s neck. Adults should not be touching young people on school campuses, order or not! It doesn’t appear anyone’s life was in danger. What else do those security persons think people must do when they, “make an order at you”, bow down? I’ll be looking for that in the school handbook.

      • John, text book response to this from “this telling” would have been the second the student smacked his hand away was to have called for back up for an Aggressive Resistant Student then either him and one other guard or two other guards would grab the student and take him out of there if he had resisted they would have cuffed him if he swung however the correct action would have been to take him to the ground and hand cuff him there.
        But by himself with the student “attacking” him he would have been in his rights to slam the student on the ground or “hold” the student to protect himself and the other students around him till other security arrived to assist.
        Even though it wasn’t a case of his life being in danger, any case of his person being in danger is enough for him to put hands on a student, The second a student puts hands on any Staff member any staff member is in their rights to protect themselves with in reason.

        • Remember, according to storied by the STUDENTS, the first security guard was knocked down and two other guards came.

        • johnny, I didn’t realize there are textbook responses for these situations. What’s the name of the book? There are even terms, Aggressive Resistant Student for the people involved? Would Aggressive Security Guard be an appropriate term? You’re actually saying that adult security persons employed by AVUHSD physically “take” minor students, including students with IEPs and 504 plans to the ground and put handcuffs on them?

      • Re-read the statement you just made. Then take awhile and think about it. Now look at this webpage https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1184695/school-crime-and-safety-report.pdf. Pay very close attention to the figures on PDF page 37 and 48-51 or so. You will notice that as security has been increased, the number of students being victims of violent crimes as decreased steadily for years. This is not the case for teachers and other school employees. You will notice that number has actually increased. So, when people expect that there children are safe when they go to school…the trends would suggest that they are. I would be more concerned with the safety of employees versus kids. If this was a perfect world, parents would not assume that kids deserve to be treated as if they are some rare commodity. That to get respect you must give it. It is a statistical fact, that kids who submit to the rules and listen to authority are exponentially less likely to commit criminal acts. So, whichever story you choose to believe will most likely reflect how you were raised. With or without some level of practicality.

        • I agree. I work at a high school as an aide and there are kids that scare me. I deal daily with foul mouths and disrespectful behavior.
          Many think they can say what ever they want and do what ever they want. Some leeway is given because these students have issues are in special classes. It gets frustrating because you don’t want to call security to deal with these kids. They push the limits until you have to so you can teach a class or let chaos rein. We have had students when asked to take head phones off and pay attention to the lesson or just do their assignment tell the teacher to “suck their @#*” or to “&*#@ off you can’t tell me what to do.” This behavior goes to security but what lack of respect. I love my job but it is very wearing to have to constantly say, “Please watch your language”, ” Don’t touch her or him” or “Stop talking while the teacher is giving a lesson”

          • You’re right Donna. It is very frustrating. I think we all should go to the school board meetings and let them know how frustrated everyone is. What you are describing didn’t just happen over night. The schools have been slacking-off on discipline for some time now. There are many groups of people in this state, including elected officials who are getting the laws changed now. Check out AB420. This has a direct effect on school suspensions and it was just passed. It’s going to make it even harder to deal with those students you described. Maybe the districts and their administrators could come up with better ways to deal with these issues other than to hire security persons who assault students.

    • I believe AV times should look at this comment and question the students rather then believing the mom who was home. This could have even been made up by the 17 year old, so he could look innocent. I doubt security guards will be putting their jobs on the line for a troublesome teenager.

  33. this is not the first time it happenedin this school in september it was incident they but a kids in a chokehold and the school didnt do anything to the security officer in involve they need to stop abusing the kids

    • but it gives the right to the security guards to put a Kids in a choke holdno they don’t give them the right that happened back in September is not the first time this happens Little Rock High School is not safe for any Kids with those security Guards and the school don’t do anything to them the only thing they know how to do is suspend the kids and don’t ask question and they know this is no bear hug is putting in jeopardy alive of others of our own kids it don’t get no like to nobody to put a child in a chalk holderwhat they need to know or what they need to learn and how to talk to these kids everybody safety and this Shool needs a lot of fixing not only security guard but too people they are responsibl To higher them

    • Well hello, maybe the school/district will not do anything to the security person, but maybe they will stop abusing kids and stop using illegal chokeholds. Maybe it’s not too late to report the September incident. You could file a complaint with the California Department of Education/Sheriff’s Department/Children’s Advocate (Regional Center). Let me know if you need some more information or if you wouldn’t mind sharing more information about the September incident. Take care

      • no I don’t have a problem sharing what happened in September because I’m very tired of them abusing the kids and only blaming the kids and yes we need more information to stop this abuse would you like to share more information Just let me know and the problem here is you go to the district you complain to them you tell them what happened to your child and they don’t do nothing is very tiring that kids and parents got to go through this send them to a school that you don’t even know if your child is safe and go through a parent go through nobody knows that only the parent that is going through it

  34. Educate your child and this wouldn’t had happened, I’m sure this mom knows exactly how her kid is (not) that’s why she listened to his side lmao and everyone else is saying it’s not true! What a shame! Losers trying to make a buck!

    • Listen, I go to school with this kid, and he is in my class during the first assembly proving that he wasn’t there for it. The security at LHS are notorious for physically “handling” students. The security could have easily talked to his teacher, who was about 50 feet away, but they refused and used aggression. Don’t try to blame him for telling the truth, you’re defending a power crazed security guard who is really only there to prevent altercations. Grow up.

    • Educate security and administrators on how to investigate as well. Apparently the school only listened to the security side. It is a shame that adult security persons are allowed to assault minors on a regular basis and some people actually support it. What a shame!

  35. If your kids weren’t wannabe hard asses and were raised by real parents that cares your wouldn’t have to cry about your kids getting body slammed, probably deserved it

  36. All teenage kids now a days that attend a high school “act” like they can do as they please and get away with their BS. I attend LHS from 2007-2011 and at that time students would act like they owned the school. I’m sure he tried to be a smart butt and of course what parent isn’t going to believe their kid. Truth is, kids act one way in school and innocent at home. Parents be real lol

  37. I was working at Littlerock that day and this was NOT what happened.
    Actually it wasn’t even a security guard first of all and the students tackled
    Staff member. Wow it’s amazing how stories get twisted.

    • That’s adorable, “Ashley”. So who are you, actually? You’re as obvious as an underage kid at a bar.

      • Well “Mrs.Z” quite frankly that’s none of your business what I do but,
        If you most know I have been working for A.V.U.H.S.D for
        8 years and I am very well aware of all the lies that get posted about our schools, this is
        just another excuse for a parent to sue the district for extra cash. Unless you “Mrs. Z” personally
        Witnessed what happened you have no right to judge what other people post.

  38. Stuff like this happens all the time. Once at Lancaster High I saw a deputy tackle a girl who was walking away from a fight with her hands up. He jumped and TACKLED her for nothing. On a seperate occasion a close friend of mine got attacked near the school and they suspended him when he was the victim “because he was involved” the school district is crooked, when anyone speaks up against them they fudge documents to make it look like they were victims. I hate to say it but you’ll get nowhere with this. Nobody’s going to do anything about it, especially because you’re hispanic, they’re going to make it look like he’s the thug and the security gaurd was the victim. Best bet is to pull him out of that school or home school him.

  39. 1st off yes security is trained. People always looking to blame the schools and sue. Kids try an stand up like they are grown. It says right in the arrival security was elbowed accident or not that can’t fly. There is a lot of very disruptive an aggressive disrespectful kids these days. They think cuz their parents don’t care or disapline them that can fly at school. Bottom like security is there to protect all ur kids. And security is allowed to use reasonable force to subdue a non combative student for his/hers safety an safety of others on campus. So try an check ur kids an tell them to listen to adults when they are told to do something.

  40. Littlerock high is the worst school with the worst personal as employee they take advantage of any situation and flip the situation to blame the student

  41. Why are you posting lies.. that’s a bs story to try to sue the school.. Kids we’re fighting, security went to break up the fight. Then they attacked the security guard.. bs parents looking for every excuse to find some money.

    • Is that what really went down? This is not the first time i have read this other version of the story?

      • Yes that’s the truth! Coming from students as witnesses. The press always wants to make an article without the whole truth!

        • That is not true. I was there only a few feet away, there wasn’t a fight and the kid was telling the truth. However, the security guard did grab him and when the kid pulled away he swung. The security guard was in the wrong for grabbing him, as the kid is slightly disabled. No reason for the altercation.

      • Your the one lying.. You must be one of the parents crying for money for money… They didn’t even mention the kids were fighting before security went there to break it up..

    • How do you know they are lies? Were you there? Your account sounds very different. I don’t recall reading anything about anyone suing anyone.

  42. I attended littlerock high school from 2005-2009, and i have seen security get away with some stupid stuff. Security was no where near this brutal in the time i was there. Wheres Gabe, Matt, Chewy, Vince… They were bad A$$. They were always looking out. But get strict when they need to. it seems like after Radford left as principle, everything went down hill. The district needs to make sure that the people they are hiring use actions that are justifiable. If they are gonna higher a bunch of people that are gonna “bear hug” a kid over an assembly, Thats outrageous. what if the kid had a twin or something. i MYSELF have had a staff member put their hands on me, she ripped my lanyard off my neck, And the plastic clip cracked, and cut my neck. All because MY TEACHER whom was in the computer lab, sent me to the career center to print my paper that wouldnt come up on the AUC server…and because i missed the bell, my teacher returned to his class room, and i was deemed “tardy”. When i walked out to run the paper to my teacher and go to my next class, she ran after me and called me when i turned around ms. FLINT went straight for my ID to try and report me truant. needless to say, the school covered it up. cause “the cameras werent working in the area” and “i had no proof”

    • You know, I heard a similar story about a student being marked truant for not being in their seat when the tardy bell rang. Serious? That’s excessive. Choke holds, abuse of truancy rules, “bear hugs.” What’s going on at that school/district? Does the school board know? Does the state know? Things have changed. Littlerock isn’t a one-horse town anymore.

  43. No one at any school anywhere that is working there should ever out hands on any student unless they are a police or sheriff ! This security officer was wrong ! The security officer should be the one in trouble here. In no way what so ever should he have grabbed any minor in this type of hold for just pulling his arm away from him ! This is a on going problem with Rent A Cops !

    • Education Code section 44807 provides that “Every teacher in the public schools shall hold pupils to a strict account for their conduct on the way to and from school, on the playgrounds, or during recess. A teacher, vice principal, principal, or any other certificated employee of a school district, shall not be subject to criminal prosecution or criminal penalties for the exercise, during the performance of his duties, of the same degree of physical control over a pupil that a parent would be legally privileged to exercise but which in no event shall exceed the amount of physical control reasonably necessary to maintain order, protect property, or protect the health and safety of pupils, or to maintain proper and appropriate conditions conducive to learning.”

      • Nice job info. I still am not convinced that a choke hold was reasonable. I’m curious to see if/how this code section will apply here.

  44. My son went to av highschool,he was body slammed by micha.he had a seizure,and was expelled.micha still works there.I couldnt get a lawyer to help me.

    • My friend got slammed face first into the commons by a Temp security guard at littlerock high school and they said they “felt the measures were appropriate” Because he was getting jumped and Kickin ass.

    • Well lets recap that day, I was picking my child up from school and saw that happen to your “son”. As I recall there were two security, micha included and one was being choked from behind by your “son”. micha was protecting another staff member. My daughter later that day, who told me that your “son” who had nothing to do with the situation, the security were there for, your “son” then jumped in and started to choke security from behind. Seems to me that your “son” would still be at av if he had not done what he did. Although my daughter no longer does not attends AV and goes to Quartz Hill she mentions to me that no matter what school she is at no one child is innocent. Every kid acts different then they would when at home, my child included, but it does not excuse the behavior they chose to act upon. Us older gen. would not think twice to talk back or even disrespect an adult, parent or not! That was the world we lived in at the time. Now its okay to do so. Although everyone is entitled to their opinion, and whose to say we have an opinion on the matter when we were not even there to witness it from beginning to end? “And yes I was there to see what your son did so I can speak on the matter!”

    • I have heard a lot of things about this security ” Micha”. Not good I must say. My son told me that at lunch time one day Micha body slammed a student that was listening to music with his headphones on so he did heard what ever it was he was being told to do and was bloody. Some of the kid recorded it with their cell phones and those kids phone where taken away by staff. I just pray that God watch’s over my son, and he may come home safe to me every day. For AV is a jungle.

    • Thats not your call. You are not his mother. Im sure you wouldnt want ppl docking your parenting. would you?

      • “Docking”? Do you mean mocking?
        The student was wrong, and an altercation broke out. He has no remorse for being a belligerent punk. If you talk smack to the police, and put your hands on the police….. There are consequences. This patent should be looking at her failure to patent rather than blaming others for her sons poor behavior!

        • Just your opinions. They were not police. They were security persons, and they assaulted him. I don’t believe they apologized to anyone either. Perhaps you should offer parenting classes.

  46. I know you want to sue, just admit it your like all the other lazy people trying to come up off of someone else. This is eerily similar to what happened at pete knight highschool years back, and we all see how that turned out.

  47. why should the school have to put up with disruptive students. The school is not a babysitting service. Call the parents every time a student is disruptive and have then come to the school and take care of there own child.

  48. Hurry up and just get a lawyer, soon!! I agree there hired by the district. Remember his under age and the attack was made by an adult without the training or certified to use this method.

    • Correct. It is not ok for an adult on any school campus to illegally touch a minor (student). If the high schools can’t manage their schools, maybe they (district, administrators) could change their discipline policies. Do the other districts need security?

      • In the 80s I went to a nice public school in Torrance. We had security as did every other campus in the district. For senior year I moved twice, Tehachapi had security and Orange high in City of Orange had security. Remember this was during a nice decade.
        As an adult I have visited campuses around Southern California and every single one has had security. As stated elsewhere in these comments it is in fact legal to ‘touch’ a student (restrain them) in certain situations. I was not there that day so I do not know the truth of this particular situation.

  49. The biggest issue I see is this could ave been avoided, by 1 the student(s) were asked to leave the Assembly period end of story! had the students attended the other assembly or not is irrelevant. He was given a lawful request by security to leave. by not doing so and then taking a aggressive stance by not leaving the entire situation escalated based on his actions. All for something that could have been resolved latter on. No as far as Security when is it there responsibility to keep track of who and who was not at previous Assemblies? Again this is something that could have never even happened! but for what ever reason the security officer felt he would play judge. once told if he did not believe him simply get his info and verify it latter and let the principal deal with it! teach your kids to respect and listen to there elders and officials regardless who or where. and Security officials need to learn there boundaries!

    • It is the security guards job to keep track if that student was at the other assembly because had they been at the first one legitly then they were ditching their current class and if they weren’t suppose to be at the first one they were ditching earlier. The fact that this student was sighted in the first place at a crowded assembly is probably because this student is a problem child who is constantly on their radar.

  50. I highly doubt security personnel put students in choke holds all the time as suggested. Students at Littlerock never lie or speak in hyperbole either I bet too. Here is a novel concept for your son: Comply with the security officers until its figured out. Hate to break it to you but I’m guessing most students go their entire high school tenure not getting handcuffed by security. There is a reason he was detained. If he would have simply complied, the question of whether or not he should have been there would have been quickly figured out and he would have returned or removed. I’d like to see the headline say “Parent disciplines her child for not complying with a designated school official.” Of course, that doesn’t get views like this one will… However, parents who teach that don’t end up on this site either.

    • Agreed Manuel! To parent—So you are putting this out there trying to get sympathy (or $$) for your son because he failed to comply with directions given to him from an adult, a person of authority, and a school employee. Go figure. If your son had followed directions and was able to express his concerns in a decent and articulate manner, this situation could have been avoided completely. Children are a reflection of their parents, teach him how to respond to an incident without throwing a tantrum or a punch, whining, and blaming everyone but himself, and perhaps he will make his way through life without more scratches. I seriously don’t think you need a lawyer, I think you need some family counseling to help all of you.
      There is a problem with much of today’s youth not having respect for rules and regulations,and it starts with the parents. YOU are the first teacher-Teach your children manners, don’t expect someone else to do it. High Schools shouldn’t be babysitting facilities, they should be teaching facilities- period. My son shouldn’t have to sit in a classroom and have his teacher spend half of the learning time, telling your son (and others like him) to sit down, stop talking, get to work, be nice, pick up the trash he just threw, leave others alone, put the phone away, take the headphones out of your head etc..etc..etc… Wake up and take responsibility for your and your child’s actions, quit expecting others do so and definitely quit blaming others for a situation that could have been avoided if the child had just listened to the adult, like he “should have been” taught.

      • Littlerock high is the worst school with the worst personal as employee they take advantage of any situation and flip the situation to blame the student i didn’t make my public but best believe i went to the district and nothing could be done. My son is disabled with special needs too so dont blame the parents hope to God you as parents don’t have to look for a solution it was about time some pmr broughy out

        • It has been my experience that parents have the most power to make change and to advocate best for their children. I’ve also learned that the squeakiest wheels get the most grease. The parent(s) who yells the loudest and the most often will usually get what they want from schools/districts…..usually. It’s not easy and it may take some time, but perseverance pays off. Viri, when it comes to children with special needs, schools/districts need to follow special education laws. Many parents do not know what their rights are when it comes to this. Anyway, I hope all is well with your son.

  51. while any kind of physical attack by a security guard is almost always unwarranted, as a previous LHS student..I’m pretty sure your kid is lying about not attending the first assembly. Just because he said he didn’t and just because the principle believed him to be in class and or lunch at that time is [removed]. The kid should have listened point blank period. If the story is true, and the security guard did lay hands on him, it was unwarranted just like any physically handling by the security guards that can cause injury. And I’m surethe elbowing your son did was an “accident.” We would do anything as students to skip class and attend another assembly. This whole story is fishy and hard to believe.

    • I know i did. but this is why you get in good with security cause with me they shook their head and looked the other way Lmao.

      Helped that Radford was an old family friend too

  53. Do school security guards have any special training for dealing with young people or for defusing situations without resorting to extremes like choke holds? Keeping schools and kids secure is not the same as guarding a warehouse. Very odd that law enforcement would not take a report for something that could be dangerous to kids.

    • Yes they have training it may not be as extensive as some would like, but the fact is even if it was an “Accidental” elbow hit that guard has to take that as a threat of further violence on himself. You may think “OMG its a child” but if he is a 11th grader in high school that means he is 16 or 17 (Possibly 18 if he was ever held back) which honestly in most cases is a “physically” full grown adult.

      Let me ask you if you thought a 16 or 17 y/o was going to fight/attack you are you going to just go oh its a child and ignore a imminent threat or are you gonna protect yourself by any means necessary?

      • If I am working as a security person in a high school in California, I would not put anyone in a choke hold. They are very dangerous. If I thought the job was going to be that dangerous, I would go work some where else.

        • If you thought the job was dangerous “You” would work else where but there would still be people doing this job.

          Personally I wouldn’t put a student in a choke hold either, they can still hurt you in that position if they are on the ground they can’t do much.

        • Also it can be a dangerous job sometimes and any woman working it can be sexually assaulted nonstop but for the women who do the job more power to them.

          I think just 2 weeks ago at Quartz Hill High School there was a Security Guard breaking up a fight and he was knocked over and got a concussion and had to go to the hospital.

  54. When Guillermo is given an order by the Sheriff’s Department he should do what he’s told. The details could be worked out later with the front office. Failure to comply will get you in trouble every time. No sympathy here.

    • They arent Sheriffs. And as far as this matter is concerned. i Attened littlerock high school from 05-09 and i have seen security do some screwed up stuff and get away with it.

          • Yes because disobeying authority is great and should be taught to all our children, when Security is just trying to make sure the students aren’t ditching class.

            Technically if I was that security guard and I was Physically hit, I would have slammed that kid to the ground and hand cuffed him. Which is reasonable action after being Physically hit by a student, then I’d press charges, get him expelled and send him to Juvenile hall so I guess this student is lucky he didn’t have my scenario.

          • Sure johnny. Like truancy is such a life-threatening crime. You might want to familiarize yourself with the expulsion procedures before you slam anyone.

          • RRR Assault on any staff member is reason for expulsion and in this case since it was even admitted that the student hit the security guard that is already enough. Since the strike was admitted it would then be a case of was it an accident or not.

            Truancy is not the issue here it was the issue that started the incident but the end result was a student hitting a staff member

    • They were security people. Is this what the security people at the local high schools do around here, ORDER people around? Sounds like maybe the media and the state ought to investigate the security.

  55. They arent hired by a security company they just take a test at the high school district and get hired. So talk to AVUHSD about it. He is an employee of the district

  56. They are not hired by a company. They are district employees. Why didn’t your son do what he was asked? He was being defiant. I’m sure it would have been straightened out, whether he had attended the other assembly, once they had left the assembly, if he hadn’t refused to comply with security.

    • Well if the security wouldn’t have assumed that he had ditched to the second assembly in the first place none of that would of happened because he was telling the truth.

      • Their job is to do just that, make sure the students are doing what they are suppose to be doing and not doing things they shouldn’t be doing. If the student was suppose to be there it would have been simple enough for the student to go over to the teacher and fix it. Oh no he would have missed 2 mins of the assembly, instead he choose to resist and cause a big scene.