PHOENIX — A body slam and a broken elbow. This is what happened to one Valley 15-year-old who says a teacher sent him to the hospital after an alleged assault.
The teen’s family filed a police report while at the hospital. The teacher also filed a police report, according to a school district spokesperson.
The alleged assault happened at Desiderata High School, which is an alternative school that teaches many kids with behavioral challenges.
The school has security guards and monitors kids closely.
Jeremiah Davis said security was present when his elbow was broken, but it was a teacher who slammed him to the sidewalk.
“Sharp pain in my elbow,” Davis explained.
Davis said the pain was immediate and the incident with a teacher at his school was swift.
“When he was about to do it he said, ‘You are going down,’ and he picked me up and slammed me. Then he used the arm that I was just slammed on, which was broken, and he used that to choke me and pin his elbow in the back of my neck.”
Davis and his dad say the teacher is a martial arts master.
“He was a third-place world champion of jiu-jitsu,” said Jeremiah.
“He knows the limits of what to do and not to do,” said John Davis, Jeremiah’s father. “He took it way too far.”
After the takedown, which happened around 2:10 PM, the nurse was called to file a report. The nurse wrote in a report that Jeremiah was hyperventilating and crying. She also noted bruises and swelling on his elbow. She called his grandma and recommended they go to an Emergency Room. Hospital X-rays later confirmed the damage.
Davis said the altercation started after administrators refused to return his cell phone after class. He claimed the physical attack was unprovoked.
The Phoenix Union School District said they are investigating and have reviewed the incident with the teacher and other witnesses.
They also told ABC15 the teacher filed a police report of his own.
Phoenix police said the reports are not available because the investigation is ongoing.
ABC15 called, emailed, and even knocked on the teacher’s door but could not get in touch with him for his side of the story.
Jeremiah has missed the last week of class recovering.
“He’s very upset. He’s afraid, and he doesn’t want to go back to school,” said Davis Sr.
The district said no disciplinary action had been taken regarding the teacher so far.
A spokesperson also said the new cameras that were just installed were not operating at the time of the attack.
