DEKALB COUNTY, GA — A family has filed a lawsuit against the DeKalb County school district and its police department, accusing them of negligence and the use of excessive force against a student in 2023.

Video of the incident at Redan High School shows 17-year-old Omauri Stephens being body-slammed to a hallway floor by the DeKalb County schools police chief. The family says it happened when Stephens was walking by as a girl was being detained for a fight and he made some comments.

The DeKalb County schools police chief was put on paid leave.

Their attorney says no one alerted Stephens’ parents that he’d been thrown in jail.

The attorney says it’s about accountability to ensure this happens to no one else. The lawsuit seeks unnamed damages.