SMYRNA, GA — A Cobb County high school student and his father are speaking out after obtaining a private arrest warrant against the principal of Campbell High School following an incident during an ICE protest earlier this year.
A judge issued an arrest warrant for Principal Paul Gillihan on a charge of simple battery.
Suri Chadha Jimenez Jr., the father of Campbell High 10th grader Suri Chadha Jimenez III and a criminal defense attorney, says his son was allegedly grabbed and shoved by Gillihan during the protest.
“This is a grown man who assaulted me, and that shouldn’t happen to anybody,” Suri Chadha Jimenez III said.
The student says the incident happened as he attempted to walk away.
“That’s when Mr. Gillihan ran up behind me, grabbed my wrist and pushed me against the wall,” he said.
“I tried to walk away but he yanked me back by my backpack,” the student added.
Jimenez Jr. says he believes the situation could have been handled differently.
“The response from the school was not the measure to what was actually happening. They’re justifying physical violence, when this could have been a learning moment,” he said.
“It could have been an in school suspension, they could have given him an assignment saying ‘hey this is Georgia, this is home of peaceful protest, you know what I need you to do a book report,’” Jimenez Jr. said.
Jimenez Jr. says he hopes there are consequences following the incident.
“Where the case is resolved ideally, where this man gets some anger management classes,” he said.
The Cobb County School District says it is disappointed with the judge’s ruling and is standing behind Gillihan.
In a statement, the district said it believes Gillihan “acted appropriately” and “quickly moved to maintain student safety and order.”
The district also argued that walkouts over ICE operations are being led by outside political groups and create tense situations for school staff.
“They’re backing this up 100%, according to them the judge made a mistake and this man did nothing wrong,” Jimenez Jr. said.
A Cobb County School District spokesperson released the following statement:
“We are disappointed by the Magistrate Court’s decision, particularly as the walkouts were encouraged by outside political groups and politicians during the school day, creating a tense situation that required Principal Gillihan to act quickly to maintain student safety and order. We stand firmly behind Principal Gillihan, as do hundreds of Campbell students, parents, and staff, and believe the facts will ultimately show he acted appropriately while carrying out his responsibilities.”
The school district has not released additional details about the incident, and the circumstances surrounding the protest were not immediately clear.
WSB Radio’s Michelle Wright contributed to this story.
