AVONDALE — New body camera footage shows the school resource officer's point of view in a fight between him and a student at West Point High School in Avondale.
The incident unfolded in September, and Avondale police have now released the body camera footage of the altercation.
The fight began after a food fight in the cafeteria. Staff, including the officer, told students to leave the area. In surveillance footage provided by the Tolleson Union High School District, it appears to show the officer put a hand on the student’s arm and then the student moved his arm. After that, the videos shows the student was then pushed into a trash can.
ABC15 obtained the body camera footage on Tuesday. The camera starts recording after the student is pinned to a trash can. Both the student and officer can be seen with arms flailing as the fight ensues. Eventually, the officer takes the student down to the ground. There is no audio for 30 seconds in the footage.
The officer appears to be pushing down on the student's face as they fight.
Eventually, the officer is then heard giving the student a command.
"Let go," the officer said.
Later, after the student is on the ground, he stops struggling with the officer.
"You're getting in trouble, bro," the student said.
"You cannot push a police officer," the officer responded. "You cannot push a police officer."
The officer then told the student to turn around. When the student said he couldn’t with the officer on top of him, he moved to give him some room.
"I'm not going to handcuff you. I'm waiting for everybody to get out of here," the officer said.
The student said several times that the incident was captured on camera.
"I'm not worried about it. It's on camera right now on my chest," the officer said.
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Police reports identify the officer as “J. Armstrong.” The district’s website listed Jason Armstrong as the SRO for West Point High School. Tolleson Union’s superintendent, Jeremy Calles, previously told ABC15 the SRO had been with the school since it opened in 2019.
"That's all on camera, bro. He pushed me. I said, don't touch me. He socked me in the face," the student said to someone in the video.
"That's not exactly how it happened," Armstrong responded.
As students cleared the area, Armstrong got off the student.
Other officers then interviewed both the student and Armstrong. The police report says both had minor injuries. For Armstrong, the report said he had minor injuries to the right side of his face and swelling to his right hand. For the student, he had “minor injuries to his forehead and nose area and scratches on his left forearm.”
The police report states conflicting narratives on what was said between the officer and student before the altercation occurred.
Officer Armstrong told another officer that he placed a hand on the student’s back and told him to leave the area. He then said the student shoved the his hand away and turned to face him.
"Officer Armstrong grabbed [student’s] arm and told him not to push a police officer. [Student] stated "I don't care" and pushed Officer Armstrong's arm away again. Officer Armstrong attempted to gain control of [student] near trash cans built into the wall. During this time, [student] continued to resist by moving his arms and preventing Officer Armstrong from holding him,” the report read.
In the student’s account, he said an officer behind him said “[expletive] elementary kid,” and said “[expletive] move.”
"The officer shoved [student] from behind. [Student] told the officer, 'don't touch me.' The officer grabbed [student] and shoved him against an object, pushing [student] hand down. [Student] turned and pushed the officer with his left hand. The officer grabbed [student] and slammed him to the floor,” the police report read.
The student also told officers that he "pushed the officer's face while on the ground in an attempt to stop the officer from punching him.”
Avondale Police say Armstrong has since been reassigned to patrol, and the department is conducting an administrative review.
Peoria Police, the investigating agency, said it had found no criminal violations by the officer and recommended aggravated assault charges against an officer for the student. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office says the case is still under review.
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