Cop Tases Jr. High Students; Lawsuits Filed

Concerned parent says it was special needs children who were shocked

Getty Images

Two federal lawsuits each seek more than $10 million on behalf of two 12-year-old boys who allege a Kankakee police officer shocked them with a stun gun during an in-school demonstration.

The lawsuits were filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Urbana. Police officials in Kankakee placed the officer on administrative leave after he allegedly used a stun gun on students Tuesday as part of an unauthorized demonstration of the device at Kankakee Junior High School.

The lawsuits name the police officer, the city of Kankakee, Kankakee School District 111 and two teachers.

The boys' attorney, James Rowe, says they also want the officer -- identified in the suit as Lonnie Netzel -- fired and criminal charges filed in the case. Teachers Teresa LaReau and Jessica Labon are also named.

Rowe alleges that the shockings were racially motivated.

"Shocking two 12-year-olds with a taser gun for no reason is reprehensible and criminal," said James Rowe, the lawyer representing Alta Young and Stella Bender, the boys' mothers, in a statement. "This was abuse, and it was perpetrated upon students of color and only students of color."

http://www.nbcchicago.com

Seems like the "less lethal" option is being abused quite a bit these days. Poor kids.