Free Thought Project – by Matt Agorist
Gates, NY — Last week, Stephanie Petrillo’s 15-year-old son Joe was dropped off at their home — battered, bloodied, and with a fractured orbital socket. His mother says she was given no reason for the drop off other than Joe suffered the injuries after he fell on the floor while being restrained by officer Shawn O’Mara of the Gates police department.
After he was dropped off crying and severely injured, Stephanie Petrillo would soon find out about the nasty confrontation between her son and this Gates police officer.
In an interview with Activist and Blogger Davy Vara, Petrillo explained how her son’s cellphone led to his assault by a public servant who is nearly double Joe’s size.
According to Petrillo, last Friday morning, Joe, who was at school on his lunch break, asked the school’s principal, Mary Vito, for his cellphone. In high schools, it is not uncommon for students to have to leave their phones in the office every morning.
While he was on lunch, Joe merely wanted to call his mother. However, principal Vito was not going to allow him to do that, so the two went back and forth several times. At this point, officer O’Mara stepped in to force Joes’ compliance.
Gates, NY Police officer Shawn O’Mara was on school property and responded to the argument between the principal and the student.
“He grabbed my son, who is maybe one hundred and twenty pounds, like a bean pole, and he slams him on the floor, handcuffs him and then starts punching my son in his face,” Petrillo said.
“This is a police officer who weighs more than two hundred pounds, and he beat my son.”
Joe was then put into the patrol car and brought to his mother, bleeding and crying in agony. When this mother brought her son to the hospital, she learned that he had suffered an orbital fracture, a concussion, and multiple contusions — all at the hands of this police officer.
In a statement on Tuesday, Gates Police Chief James VanBrederode confirmed that O’Mara punched the teen in the face, but said that this officer, twice the size of his subject, was justified in the beating because the student became “out of control.
VanBrederode also said that the officer was wearing a body cam that confirms Joe’s behavior. However, they have yet to release it, which is strange considering the fact that they have posted body cam footage directly to their Facebook page.
Gates police say they have statements from students who say they witnessed the altercation. But there are witnesses on the other side who say they saw O’Mara punch Joe while he was in handcuffs.
According to Joe’s girlfriend, O’Mara hit Joe in the face while he was in handcuffs.
The family has since hired attorney John Parrinello. The Free Thought Project spoke to Mr. Parrinello on Wednesday, and he told us that he is waiting to hear back from Chief VanBrederode so he and the family can view the body cam footage.
Police charged the teen with resisting arrest, and menacing, as well as grand larceny. But because of his age, the case will be handled in Family Court.
When asked about the menacing and grand larceny, Parrinello told the Free Thought Project that he does not know why the teen is facing these charges.
Only when the body cam is released will we know more about this story. But, even then, as we’ve seen in the past, body camera footage can often lead to more questions than answers.
Even if this 15-year-old boy was “out of control” the violent escalation by the officer was more than likely entirely unnecessary. All too often, the presence of police officers in schools turn typical student discipline problems into violent and confrontational legal issues.
H/t Davy V
Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world. Follow @MattAgorist
Read more at http://thefreethoughtproject.com/cop-destroys-15-yo-students-face-wanted-cell-phone-call-mom/#GYxO4l8xvpAKGE4y.99
The more you see reports on incidents like this happening, the more you realize that people are becoming desensiized to it, and the more the police are excused or even rewarded. This is exactly the wrong response.
This is also the kind of incident where you actually have to root for the lawyer. Sue everyone.
It is past the time for students to wear hidden body cameras to school and live stream the footage to the internet.
Anyone who sends their kid to a public school doesn’t care about whats really going on there
and they all act surprised when s^!t like this happens
when parents finally wake up to this and stop sending ALL the kids to these day prisons , is when we will finally put an end to this
with the internet , there is no reason (other than being lazy) to send your kid to one of these INSTITUTIONS
Amen to that. I never had children in public schools. I always worked an extra job(s) to make sure I could afford to avoid that nightmare. And parents need to stick together … if even one child is abused in any way at a public school then several parents need to show up immediately at that school and address the issues.
It is “high time” for people to STOP sending their children into the front lines of battle…. enmasse!!!! Although there aren’t enough people with the courage to stand together to make this happen.
Why cope with this kind of abuse that is happening in “schools”?… Would you send YOUR child into a known ghetto where gangs operate?
What is the difference.. except that they gang members wear a uniform and have permission from the bureaucrats who live on YOUR tax money to beat your children?..
Move, leave the country while you still can, and take your children with you. Any financial uncertainty is better than this!
Waiting on the pig sty to clean up their own mess is a joke as is the kangaroo courts that protect them!
SCHOOLS HAVE SIMPLE RULES TO FOLLOW. THE USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES, DURING SCHOOL HOURS, IS GENERALLY NOT ALLOWED. THIS WAS PROBABLY THE CASE HERE. SO, IT WAS A SIMPLE MATTER OF ACCEPTING YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AND FOLLOW SCHOOL RULES. HE DECIDED AGAINST HIS BETTER JUDGEMENT AND ON TOP OF THAT, BECAME BELLIGERENT AND DEFIANT. HOWEVER, I DON’T SEE A JUSTIFICATION FOR WHAT EVENTUALLY HAPPENED TO HIM. SCHOOL OFFICIALS SHOULD HAD KNOWN BETTER. ADMINISTRATORS ARE TRAINED FOR THIS KIND OF SITUATIONS.
If society would wake the heck up .. we could clean this mess up in a few days
anyone beating up a kid like that should have a lynch mob at their door by the end of the day
I am sure that officer O’Mara was acting within the undocumented policies of the department. (Sarcasm off)
“… Police Chief James VanBrederode confirmed that O’Mara punched the teen in the face, but said that this officer, twice the size of his subject, was justified in the beating because the student became “out of control.”
BULLSH#T!!!
If he had been out of control, he would have been shot.
If anyone over 18 yrs old other than police office hit a 15 year old for any reason they would be in jail. Sue the office and the school. If he was on lunch break why was he not allowed to call his home? But yes, he and all other kids need to stay away from public school propaganda centers.
Out of control?
I tell you what, I hope this so called cop lives 500 feet underground. People don’t take likely to this BS.
What they have created is a potential active shooter at school.
In my day we would have caught the school cop when he came to work and beat the living fk out of him.
Get some…get some yeah baby.
Get some…