Police officers using excessive force on civilians is nothing new, but one incident in Georgia has many parents worried for the safety of their children. A cop apparently tased a student because of a misunderstanding and because he wanted the kid to get off the school bus. The disturbing confrontation has since gone viral, and the cop is currently facing scrutiny and further investigation.
The incident happened on Thursday afternoon aboard a bus carrying students from Langston Hughes High School in South Fulton, Georgia. The student, identified as Lanier Johnson-Hunt, 18, spoke with Atlanta News First and said the situation escalated after a new bus driver mistakenly believed he was on the wrong bus. Johnson-Hunt said he refused to get off because he knew it was his assigned route. That refusal, he claims, led to school police being called and the confrontation turning physical:
In the video, you can see the two cops trying to drag out Johnson-Hunt after an initial tasing. The student still refused to leave the bus, so one of the cops tased him again and threatened him with more tasing if he didn’t comply. According to Fulton County Schools, video of the encounter quickly spread online, prompting outrage and an internal investigation. The unnamed officer involved has since been taken off active duty as the district reviews what happened.
“At the moment, nothing was going through my mind,” Johnson-Hunt said afterward. “I’ve never been tased before. But now I think that’s crazy. You’re a school resource officer. You’re supposed to be helping us, and you’re tasing random kids. There’s no point in you tasing me at all,” says Johnson-Hunt in an interview with Atlanta News First.
Parents are deeply concerned
In a statement, Fulton County Schools confirmed the taser was certainly used and emphasized that the matter is being taken seriously. District officials have also said the officer has been removed from active duty pending the outcome of an investigation, but declined to release further details, citing student privacy, and the officer has yet to be named.
Meanwhile, parents in the community have voiced concern, questioning whether the use of a taser on a student was necessary at all. As the investigation continues, the incident has reignited debate over the role of police in schools and how quickly routine discipline issues can turn into traumatic encounters.
“My thing is two grown men can lift a skinny kid out of a bus. He wanted to taze him,” claims a commenter on X. Another commenter questions, “So if im a law abiding parent & I come to get my child off the bus & he or she starts acting up not wanting to be removed I have the right to taze my child? Or is that child abuse?” citing how the use of tools was unnecessary, especially since the root of the incident appears to be a misunderstanding.
