Dekyrion Ellis, who is in ninth-grade, said that he was lifted off the floor by a support resource officer at his high school after he had been involved in an altercation with a classmate.
Jake Perry, an officer at Camden High School in Arkansas, is under investigation for use of excessive force and has been placed on leave.
Police chief Boyd Woody said in a statement: “I will not tolerate misconduct from my officers and this matter will be dealt with accordingly and I will be transparent in doing so”.
The use of chokeholds has been banned by many US police forces. Last summer, the NYPD fired the officer involved in the high-profile 2014 chokehold death of Eric Garner. His dying words – “I can’t breathe” – became a rallying cry at protests against excessive use of force.
