Akron Mayor Shammas Malik will hold a news conference Monday to discuss an incident last week at the Firestone Community Learning Center in which an Akron police officer allegedly used force against a student.
The mayor’s office said a time for the news conference is still being worked out, and the next steps in the city’s review of the city’s use-of-force policy will also be discussed.
Akron Public Schools has not yet commented on the incident. An email seeking comment Sunday afternoon was not returned.
Capt. Michael Miller of the Akron Police Department said the department is reviewing the incident as a use of force case. He said a student was arrested and beaten by an officer during the arrest for failing to fully comply with metal detector checks on his way to the building on Wednesday morning.
“The student initially attempted to avoid the metal detectors and was reportedly reluctant to comply and walk back through the scanner at the direction of APS staff and officers,” Miller said in an email. “He was ultimately apprehended/arrested after attempting to push past the officers. He was placed on the ground and handcuffed after briefly resisting arrest.”
Miller said the student was approximately 16 years old and was charged with criminal trespass and resisting arrest. He said the student may have suffered minor injuries when he was taken to the ground.
The Beacon Journal has requested a copy of the incident report.
A city spokeswoman confirmed the incident involved the officer assigned to the school as a resource officer. Akron police officers who work as school resource officers do not have body-worn camera footage, although Akron Public Schools has cameras in schools and at building entrances.
Miller said the officer had not been placed on leave as of Friday. He said more answers would be provided at Sunday’s press conference.
This story will be updated.
Contact education reporter Jennifer Pignolet at jpignolet@thebeaconjournal.com, at 330-996-3216 or on Twitter @JenPignolet.
This article originally appeared in Akron Beacon Journal: Akron police use force in arrest of Firestone student under review
