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Lawsuit filed on behalf of Lancaster High School student allegedly assaulted by deputy

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[Screenshots from a video that was widely circulated online depicting the deputy taking the student down to the ground and then restraining her on Aug. 30, 2021 at Lancaster High School.]
LANCASTER – A lawsuit was filed on behalf of a teenage girl who was allegedly body-slammed by a school resource sheriff’s deputy at Lancaster High School in 2021 and later mocked by the deputy when she returned to school.

The plaintiff is identified only as Jane Doe 1 in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit brought Wednesday, May 4, against Los Angeles County, the Sheriff’s Department, Deputy Daniel Acquilano and the Antelope Valley Union High School District.

The complaint’s allegations include civil rights violations, assault, battery, false arrest, aiding and abetting assault and battery, negligence, negligent hiring supervision, retention, training and education, intentional infliction of emotional distress and harassment based on race, sex and disability. Doe seeks compensatory damages against all of the defendants and as well as punitive damages against Acquilano.

The LASD previously released a statement explaining that Doe physically resisted the detention and so the deputy used force to take her into custody. An AVUHSD representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The incident was recorded on video and occurred last Aug. 30 at Lancaster High when the girl, then 16, refused the deputy’s request to hand over her cell phone and began walking away, the suit states.

“After slamming her down, he straddles her face down on the ground, while she is screaming to call her mom,” the suit states. “The video captures school personnel standing around watching the incident, failing to intervene.” Doe remained face-down on the ground for several minutes, pinned and straddled by the deputy, the suit states.

“Horrified and in shock, Jane Doe repeatedly screamed that he get off of her and not touch her,” the suit states. “Jane Doe continued pleading to be allowed to call her mother throughout the assault, but was denied the opportunity to do so.”

Doe was taken nearly 50 miles away to Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar and her mother was notified to pick her up about 8 p.m., according to the suit.

Doe returned to school for one day on Sept. 3 and Acquilano “continued to engage in highly inappropriate conduct by mocking, teasing and harassing her over the attack,” the suit alleges.

Doe’s mother was forced to look for alternative education for her daughter through independent study because the district has not removed Acquilano from Lancaster High, the suit states.

“The assault has left this young girl physically and emotionally devastated,” the suit states. “Naturally, Jane Doe refuses to attend school out of fear, trauma and humiliation while … Acquilano continues to roam the campus, endangering other students.”

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45 comments for "Lawsuit filed on behalf of Lancaster High School student allegedly assaulted by deputy"

    • I damn well there isn’t GROWN [removed] individuals in these comments saying BS like “well she should’ve handed over her phone” and “teenagers are getting more aggressive”. Pulling excuses out of your [removed]. ALL that over a phone? Sickening. These deputies need to loose whatever license they have and go through training. You shouldn’t be working with students and children in general if you don’t have the patience to do so. He did that [removed] because HE COULD. And he still hasn’t lost his job. He’s a [removed] and Karma is more of it, I hope he gets what he deserves. It may not be through him, but even his kids.

  2. Unfortunately this will be a huge payout, this Deputy was using his color of authority under false pretenses. Was there an active crime investigation when he asked her for the phone? Was their “probable cause” to stop and detain her, probably not. His pride got in the way and he wanted to show her who is boss. Under the eyes of the law, a police officer needs to have probable cause or reasonable suspicion before you can detain someone. Why did he take her to juvenile hall, he knew they wouldn’t keep her. He could have easily cited and released her from the station. Watch this become a DA reject they won’t even prosecute this. The deputy needs to be disciplined, gonna cost taxpayers 100’s of thousands of dollars.

  4. Teenagers have become much more aggressive, mean and uncooperative with adult authority figures in our schools and in public. And just like we see over and over again with “adults” who use their smartphones to video themselves and others to post on social media, teens are acting out in greater numbers thanks to the instant ability to put inappropriate behavior on the internet. Parents have a responsibility to teach their kids what is appropriate and NOT appropriate, but many of them are failing to do so and want the schools to be the parents… until something bad happens and then the parents yell at the school officials and file lawsuits as a cover for their own failings as parents. If teens were taught proper respect, more personal responsibility and correct behavior when in public, most of these situations like in the above school incident would never occur in the first place, so my sympathy goes to the deputy and school officials who have to deal with this kind of behavior on a routine basis. I remember when, as I was growing up, I was told if I got in trouble at school I would get it twice as bad when I got home. That is exactly the kind of attitude missing for many teens in today’s world.

  6. 10 t0 1 odds the reason he held her down so long is that with people filming he was afraid his uniform wouldn’t hide his erection.

    • Why? You have only one side of the story. The SD can’t comment on pending litigation.

    • We’re used to in in Lancaster. Every time Rex opens his big fat mouth and says something stupid like he’s declaring war on Section 8, we get sued and the taxpayer ends up paying the bill. Meanwhile, Rex lives the life of luxury in his beach mansion in Laguna.

  8. There is no reason whatsoever to use police tactics and force on school age students. Now taxpayers will have to pay for police violence. This will be practically eliminated if all those civil suit awards were paid by the Sheriff pension plan fund.

  9. It all comes from the top in Lancaster. When you have the mayor telling residents to arm themselves and to carry guns illegally to shoot the homeless if they ‘try to rob’ you, what do you expect? Bullying is one of his core values and it seeps down unfortunately.

    • No! Don’t blame government officials nor law enforcement. Blame the parents and the student who did not honor authority figures.

      So district employees are supposed to risk careers by intervening and assaulting a deputy sheriff – I think that’s ludicrous and self destructive.

      Parent’s teach your children to follow the rules and comply with authority figures.

      • Umm no grown ass man needs to be on top of a 16 year old girl!! Idgaf what she did!!

      • Here here if my kids don’t follow the letter of the law than who is. Left We don’t need more violence we need to teach our children respect even if the other person is out of order we will have our say after we all settle down

      • Our leaders are role models [like it or not] and need to own up to iresposible statements and behaivor, think how many young people already use violence to resolve conflict. Our elected leadership especially the Mayor need to grow up!!!

        • I use Rex as an example to my children of how NOT to act and how NOT to treat people. Lying, bullying, favoritism, and misusing taxpayer money are not values worth emulating.

      • You, FBB, fail to understand his power and influence. He has the power to send an innocent man to jail for 10 years, to remove employees from their jobs in public agencies, to ignore state laws governing meetings and the purchase of property, keep people out of jail, award millions of dollars in work to political donors and friends, influence congressmen and judges, and control businesses and churches. Of course, if you’re on the dole, on a commission, named a deputy mayor, or benefit financially, there’s no problem, right?

    • Bullying? Get real. This Sunday marks the three year anniversary of the day a homeless man broke Into my house in Lancaster and tried to force his way into my stepdaughters bedroom. He didn’t listen, took one to the head and didn’t wake back up.

      • Congratulations. I’m sure that being the one in a hundred thousand victim of a genuine “random violent crime” and getting to kill a man without suffering any legal consequences is even more exciting for you than winning the lottery would be.

  10. Im pretty sure there was a reason for this .these kids thing they can do what ever they want and when it doesnt turn out how they want then they start crying. If you act right this wouldnt happen.

  11. This kids now days think they are all that and a bag of chips, let them get what they deserve. That’s reality of consequences of your actions. They will learn the truth of life when they get older. That there’s consequences for every action. There’s reason why she got handled the way she did especially her knowing people were recording her I’m sure she was extra.

    • There are consequences to actions…that’s the point. When a grown man beats up a teenage girl he gets consequences.

      • When outlaws don’t comport with the law they get handled by law ENFORCEMENT!!

        Get it? You silly agitating rabbit; TRICKS are for kids.

        • She’s a kid with a cell phone…if you call that an “outlaw” you need to get out more.

          • @T Scott

            Evidently you have limited comprehension skills. The story is “Doe physically resisted the detention and so the deputy used force to take her into custody.”

            Thus it was not possession of a cell phone that caused this incident to escalate; on the contrary, it was student refusal to comply with orders from law enforcement.

            Next!!

          • You seem to be operating under the misconception that “orders from law enforcement” are always legally given.

            Protip: they aren’t. Cops get it into their thuggish heads that that badge gives them rights to violate yours, which it doesn’t. And then when you “disobey” they think that badge gives them the right to get violent just because the state has a monopoly on violence and they nominally represent the state.

            So, when they give an order that they have no authority to give, disobey it. When they instigate unlawful violence as a result, endure it. Result: PAYDAY!!!

            Just be sure you have proper evidence to document their unlawful actions, because being cops THEY WILL LIE THEIR ASS OFF, under oath.

        • So if I knock you down and sit on you you aren’t going crying to the cops? Get real.

  12. Still holding a phone and crying for mama? SHUT UP! These children want to act grown, so let them get a dose of what acting a fool in society really feels like. Please realize that some of these children are over six feet tall and getting in teachers and other kids faces. She probably didn’t like the stupid prize she won after playing her stupid games. Maybe she will think twice, or her mom will sue…oh wait…no lesson learned here.

  13. If young adults and teens would be better educated by their parents, we wouldn’t have a need for deputies on campus, we created the problem, now let the law do it’s thing, I’m pretty sure the girl deserved some kind of restrain, I see how they act, and it’s not pretty, seen enough heard enough, I’m sure some people won’t like my opinion, but it’s my opinion, and as far as I know we still have freedom of speech. I’m not saying the deputy acted all perfect, but I’m sure he had his reasons to act the way he did.

    • So you think there’s a world where an unarmed teen age girl getting beat up by a grown man is okay “because she had it coming.” Okay then.

      • It’s all about the show! The bully Mayor wants the biggest Sheriff contract so we have all these High School deputies under contact with Lancaster. Highest crime rate in North LA County with the biggest contract makes that look very silly and wasteful but when your a big shot Mayor well you understand. All bark and no bite but what’s new?

        • Cool, so if I knock you down and sit on you you’ll have no complaints then?

          • yeah lets knock her down and lay on top of her for not following directions!

            The sooner we get LASD deputies off of AVUHSD campuses the better.

      • Do you understand the difference between following directives and resisting arrest?

        • Do you understand that there was no crime committed so there was no arrest happening?

          • @Lil TimmyScott

            Admit it, you’re an agent provocateur paid by Hilly Clintn via Russian collaboratives.

            I’m certain that there was a crime committed. But you do your own home work homeboy. The inmate don’t run the asylum over here.