Settlement in Oregon Suit Alleging Deputy Pinned Black Child

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Clackamas County, Oregon has paid $45,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a mother who said one of several sheriff’s deputies held her 12-year-old son to the ground with a knee on his neck.

The boy is Black and the family’s lawyer says the deputy is white, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. The incident happened in August 2019 at the Clackamas Town Center mall.

The county admitted no wrongdoing in court papers, but settled the $300,000 complaint filed on behalf of Ka’Mar Benbo by sending a $45,000 check Monday.

Jarena McDavid believes the deputy wrongly suspected her son of being involved in a fight and roughed him up with scrapes and bruising because of his race. Deputies eventually let him go.

“Most certainly, he was racially profiled,” McDavid told the newspaper.

In a written statement Tuesday, Clackamas County Sheriff Angela Brandenburg, who took office this year, found no fault in the deputies’ interactions with Ka’Mar. Brandenburg said no deputy put a knee on the boy’s neck.

“We do not train deputies to restrict a person’s airway or impede their ability to breathe,” Brandenburg said. “I will continue to ensure that my deputies are properly trained and that all uses of force are reviewed to ensure they are within policy.”

Portland lawyer Jason Kafoury, who represented Ka’Mar, said he believes the deputy did place his knee on the boy’s neck, saying a cellphone photo taken by a bystander “speaks for itself.”