Two Houston, Texas school district police officers pinned a 15-year-old girl face down on the floor on Tuesday because she didn’t want to relinquish her cell phone to an assistant principal.
The girl, sophomore Ixel Perez, weighs 70 pounds, according to her brother. She attends Sam Houston High School.
In a video of the incident, one of the cops who tackled the girl can be seen ramming his knee into the side of her head, reports local CBS affiliate KHOU.
The incident happened after the teacher in Perez’s reading class busted her using a cell phone in class.
Student cell phone use is prohibited at Sam Houston High. Students caught using cell phones are required to give their phones to school officials. They must then pay a fine at the end of the day to get their phones back.
The reading teacher ordered her to leave the classroom and go into the hallway.
Once Perez was standing in the hallway, an assistant principal approached her and demanded that she give up her phone. Perez said she wanted to keep her phone because her mother was having medical problems.
When Perez tried to walk away, the assistant principal called the police. Because of a cell phone.