This archive report was first published on 18 November 2019.
On September 26, 2019, a woman working at a group home in Tucson, Arizona, called the police after a 15-year-old boy, Immanuel, became upset and started screaming because he wanted to go back to school.
Deputy Manuel Van Santen, an 11-year veteran of the Pima County Sheriff's Department, responded to the call and tackled Immanuel, pinning him to the ground in a headlock. The incident was captured on video by another resident of the group home, C. J., who was eating his breakfast in the next room.
According to Immanuel's lawyer, Joel Feinman, the teenager was yelling and tried to move past Deputy Van Santen when he arrived. The deputy then tackled him and held him facedown on the kitchen floor for nearly two minutes.
After the video was released, prosecutors dropped the charge of disorderly conduct against Immanuel, and Deputy Van Santen was placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
Mr. Feinman described the incident as a 'horrible spectacle' and said that Immanuel was 'assaulted by a man with a badge and a gun.' He also stated that the boys in the group home are already traumatized and that the incident added to their trauma.
Deputy Van Santen did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
