A San Diego Unified School District police officer who was injured during a skirmish with students at Lincoln High School has filed a lawsuit in San Diego Superior Court against three teenagers accused in the incident seeking damages for medical treatment to repair personal injuries he sustained, property damages and other losses from the students and accusing the district of providing insufficient security. The officer’s physical injuries include a concussion, dizziness and sensitivity to light as a result of the head injury and possible nerve damage to his right hand.
Although the district is not a named defendant in the lawsuit, the officer alleges in the Complaint that his employer failed to provide sufficient security and police officers to control the school. The officer’s attorney released a statement saying: “I believe they were negligent. A single officer is not sufficient and they know this.” A spokeswoman for the district stated officials are evaluating the lawsuit and mentioned that they have seen progress in the school’s security over the past year, with incidents requiring police response are currently down by 59 percent.
Prosecutors say that the incident started when a group of students got together and started play fighting. The officer approached one of the students who appeared to have a cut on his forehead. The student walked away, and the officer followed. When the officer and the student entered a nearby parking garage, the student struck the officer in the face and kept hitting him approximately six or seven more times. Another student approached from behind and struck the officer in the back of the head. During the altercation as many as 100 students gathered and the officer was forced to fire his Taser at one of the students.
The three teenagers are currently facing charges in Juvenile Court. Two are accused of felony charges of assault on a police officer, assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury and violently resisting a police officer and are currently placed on home detention.a