Many parents and fellow classmates are upset after seeing footage of what appears to be Officer Jake Perry, putting one of the high school students, Dekyrion Ellis in a violent chokehold. The video, which has now been taken off of Facebook, depicts officer Perry standing behind a student with his arms wrapped around the student’s neck, lifting him multiple times as he appears to be trying to restrain the ninth-grader.
Camden Police Chief, Boyd Woody told sources, “As the Police Chief, I will not tolerate misconduct from my officers and this matter will be dealt with accordingly and I will be transparent in doing so.”
Ellis told sources that he was arguing with a friend when Officer Perry stepped in. “I feared for my life,” he began. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. I blacked out. I really didn’t see anything until he took me back to the office.” In the video, you can see young Dekyrion holding the arms of Officer Perry at an attempt to get the officer to release his tight grip.
“He could’ve taken me to the office,” said Dekyrion. “He didn’t have to restrain me. It wasn’t like I was trying to get away from him. I wasn’t resisting arrest.”
Woody told reporters that he is taking statements from witnesses and reviewing footage of the incident from the school.
