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Family Of Miami Teen Assaulted By School Security Guard Plans To Sue The School District

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A father announced today he intends to sue Miami-Dade schools after a school security guard allegedly beat up his son. The incident happened in December at Norland high school in Miami Gardens.

Within hours of the incident, police arrested the security guard for child abuse. The school district also began efforts to fire the guard.

"I send my child to school. I trust the school to take care of him and protect him. If there is an issue where I expect the school to call me and not take matters into their own hands. I can't believe that he had to endure that," Jeffrey Williams said on Friday.

With his attorney, Jasmine Rand, sitting next to him, he said he was looking for justice for what happened to his.

Rand described the incident as violent. "Placed my client into a choke hold. Slammed his body to the ground. Body slammed him several times. Punched him with his fist. And then dragged him down the hallway into the office," Rand said.

The incident, according to Williams, was started because his 14-year-old was selling snacks at school to earn money for the holidays.

For some reason, it escalated into a fight.

"This could have ended very differently for my son considering that he was punched slammed and cursed and physically abused by a grown man. I'm not going to tolerate that as his father," Williams said.

The altercation happened in front of staff and students at the school. "I can't understand how other adults didn't intervene to protect this child," Rand added.

Within hours police had enough statements and surveillance video footage to arrest the security guard, Torien Austin, for child abuse. "I'm supposed to protect him. I definitely feel violated and I'm not satisfied with what the school has done for me. I want justice for my son," Williams said.

Now Williams and his attorney Jasmine Rand plan to sue the security guard and the school district to see if this is an isolated incident or part of bigger problem.

We reached out to the school district who issued the following statement: "The school district took immediate action upon learning of this alleged incident, terminating the individual's employment and precluding him from ever being hired by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Because of pending legal action, no further comment is available at this time."

Austin has pleaded not guilty and expected to be arraigned sometime next week.

As for the lawsuit it cannot legally be filed until six months from today.

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