EAST GARFIELD PARK — A Chicago police officer has been removed from his post as a security guard at Westinghouse College Prep following a physical altercation with a student last week.
A video of the Nov. 16 scuffle shows the officer holding his gun while struggling with the student, yanking the teenager around and slamming him against a wall.
The Sun-Times identified the student as 17-year-old Sharod Grafton.
Several teachers and administrators are shown trying to deescalate the situation by separating the officer from Grafton. The clip also shows a crowd of students gathering around and jeering at the officer.
“You a grown-ass man,” one student said to the officer as he grabbed Grafton near his neck and shoved him into a wall.
“This y’all’s staff, huh?” said the student who recorded the video.
The officer was removed from the school while the Office of Student Protections and Title IX conducts an investigation on the incident, a CPS spokesperson said.
Police are also investigating.
“We are taking this situation seriously, and we remain committed to providing your children with a safe, positive learning environment where they can reach their full potential,” school officials said in a letter to Westinghouse families.
Grafton told the Sun-Times the conflict started at the end of the school day. He said the guard stopped him from leaving school through a door designated for people with disabilities. The two exchanged words, which led to the altercation.
“I don’t feel like I did anything wrong,” Grafton told the Sun-Times. “He was thinking with his authority he could just grab me and push me and move me, and I’m not a man just like him. Basically, looking at me like I’m a little boy.”
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