Teen Girl Calls Cop Beating "Horrible"

(CBS/ AP)  A teenage girl shown being kicked and punched by a sheriff's deputy on a jail surveillance video called the experience "horrible" and told CBS' The Early Show the officer accused her of assault before he tackled her.

The footage shows the attack beginning after the girl enters the cell and kicks off one of her shoes toward the deputy.

The video, released Friday, is part of an assault case in which Deputy Paul Schene, 31, is accused of using excessive force on the girl, who was being held in a cell at the suburban SeaTac City Hall. Schene, who is charged with fourth-degree assault, pleaded not guilty on Thursday in Superior Court.

Malika Calhoun, 15, said she kept telling the officer, "I'm not resisting," but that he went after her once she flung her shoe. Calhoun said she kicked off her shoe - which she said did not hit Schene - because she was upset at the way he was speaking to her.

"It was horrible. My head hit the wall," Calhoun said, adding that th officer was "pulling my hair constantly."

The incident last November began after the girl was brought in for an auto theft investigation, according to court documents.

Schene told investigators through an e-mail conversation with his lawyer that once he was assaulted by the girl kicking her shoe at him, he entered the cell to "prevent another assault," according to court documents. Schene also said that the girl failed to comply with instructions in the holding area.

Prosecutors said Schene did not explain why he struck the girl after he had her in a holding position on the floor.

"We believe this case is beyond just police misconduct, it's criminal misconduct," King County Prosecutor Daniel Satterberg said. "This is clearly excessive force."

Satterberg added the case is uncommon because cameras captured the entire incident.

Schene was investigated previously for shooting two people - killing one - in the line of duty in 2002 and 2006. Both times his actions were found to be justified, said Ian Goodhew, prosecutor's deputy chief of staff.

Associated Press calls to Schene's lawyer Anne Bremner were not immediately returned Friday. Bremner, however, released a statement to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in which she said the video does not tell the whole story. Bremner had asked Judge Catherine Shaffer to not release the video to the media.

"As we argued to the judge, it will inflame public opinion and will severely impact the deputy's right to a fair trial," Bremner said.

In the video, a deputy kicks the girl, pushing her back toward the wall. The deputy then strongly backs the girl against the wall, and slams her to the floor by grabbing her hair. A second deputy enters the holding cell, while the first deputy holds the girl face-down to the floor. The first deputy appears to hit the girl with his hands. The girl is then lifted up and led out of the cell while the first deputy holds her hair.

The second officer shown in the video was a trainee at the time and is not under investigation, Goodhew said.

Calhoun's father, Curtis, said he hadn't seen the video immediately after it was released, but once he viewed it, "I didn't know it was this severe," he told The Early Show.

According to court documents, Malika Calhoun complained of breathing problems after the incident and medics were called to check her. A short time later, she was taken to a youth detention center and booked for investigation of auto theft and third-degree assault, the latter accusation dealing with her conduct toward the deputy.

Calhoun has pleaded not guilty to taking a motor vehicle without permission, Goodhew said last week, adding she was never formally charged with assault.

[sm_cbs]

Iraq is the right place for this guy. He'll fit in perfectly among the other soldiers teaching them the American way of justice.

[therekoJ]

I know my spelling bites..im multi tasking poorly right now

[therekoJ]

On a more sobering note..Why are out citizens,fathers,brothers,moms,and children dieing in Iraq if your police can do this here..They should lead by example..While I understand stress. It doesnt give me or anyone else a free hand to brutalize a young girl. Long after this has stopped being a trendy story...she will still be living this. If we cant protect our own children or allow others to happen right in front of us..Then what have we become....thejoker

[therekoJ]

What about the basic principles...Its against the law to beat unarmed children..How about Due process..Miranda....A child advocate..A female officer present...you know the law...

[therekoJ]

This is unforgivable..Last time I checked 15yo was a miner child..If she was under the influence of something she should have gotten a assesment by a professional..Again a miner did anyone try and call the parents..If they didnt care then maybe a child from a possible broken or abusive home should not be beat by police..just a thought..This kid and I say it again kid..And HLN reports this officer will get next to nothing for this..Who knows maybe it will be your kid he encounters next..Hope he or she isnt upset about anything...I mean these our the protectors of our community and the people we tell our children to go to when they are im trouble..Or do we....and lastly if they are there to protect us and our children..then who is gonna protect us from them....just a thought.....thejoker

[JuvenileJoe]

This story caught my attention on HLN. I am a juvenile correctional officer in Sevierville, TN. for 6 years now. I am not familiar with WA. laws. I can tell you if I handled that situation the way Officer Schene did I would have been put on leave without pay and fired for my actions. No matter how good of an officer I have been. The State would have stepped in and charged me with assault on a minor which is a felony and I would have lost my job upon my arrest. That's the policy we have in our detention center, you get arrested for anything guilty or not your gone. No questions asked. My question to this department is why isn't there female officer present? Anytime a female is brought into our custody a female correctional officer must be present. Tennessee state law for juvenile corrections.Maybe Kings County needs to change their cross-gender supervison policy, if they have one. On a personal note as a Juvenile Correctional Officer I would like to see this officer loose his lively hood to remind him of his poor decisions and actions as a public servant, all he had to do was taker her shoes( shoe laces are not allowed in cells due to suicide attempt) and shut the cell door and let her vent. Out of my own supervision such as his I would almost guarantee she would have thought about her actions and apologized to him at one point realizing the surroundings she has been placed in. I am not saying a Juvenile detention center should be a daycare in no means. Ours is ran as the top detention center in the state and is recognized as such. This officer needs a attutude adjustment. All he has done to this feamle teenager is show her Law enforcement is not to be trusted and she will always be angry or in fear of law officers. She is scared for life and that's not a way to make a impact on a teenager that has made a mistake.

[copfamilyguy]

As usual the lame brain respect da law crew have it backwards, putting the cart before the horse. Law Enforcement personnel do not automatically get magically annointed with respect as soon as they put on a uniform. They have to earn and deserve respect just like any other professional. I grew up in a cop family, dad, uncle and brother. I've heard 10,000's of stories about their co-workers beating and mistreating people. So, why should anybody respect them when they act like criminals and have a chip on their shoulder bigger than the Empire State Building. "Blind" respect for a title or office eventually leads to the deaths of millions of innocents, ie- "Hitler" "Bush".

[sirnat2009]

Ok so yes the girl deserved punishment but god help everyone of you creeps that think getting assualted by a man that is close to 200 lb. is the punishment she deserves. May your children never get in any kind of legal trouble because Karma will get ya every time. This is a sad example of our legal system not parenting. Kids have been taking there parents cars on joy rides long before 2009 I wonder how many of them got punched in the face by an officer of the law afterwards instead of facing the proper consequences.

[vamphyri13131313]

If I have not taught my children any better than to do what this girl was doing, then yes, I would like to see it happen to them. Then maybe since I didn't care enough to scare them away from jail, just maybe the officer could.

[junie45]

I am furious about this and cannot believe some of these comments about this young girl. Did you that are defending this jerks actions not read that he has already shot two people and killed one of them. He is a danger to society and needs to never have any position that would give him any authority. She is a child, he is an adult that has been trained to handle these kind of situations. Some of you that are jusifying this might have children. Would you like something like this to happen to them? Then even though he was beating this girl he had to call for backup. What a jerk.