Tulsa Mom Demands Action After Son’s Chokehold Incident

TULSA, OKLA. — A mother in Tulsa is demanding action after her son was allegedly placed in a chokehold by a school officer at Monroe Demonstration Academy.

LaTosha Randall expressed her frustration during an interview with NewsChannel 8 on April 29. Earlier this month, she received a call from the school informing her that her son had been involved in an altercation.

When Randall arrived at the school, she saw her son being treated by EMS staff. The boy reportedly told her he couldn’t breathe after the incident. According to Randall, a video obtained by NewsChannel 8 shows the campus officer intervening in a fight and placing her son in a headlock before taking him to the ground.

“He said the officer came up, grabbed me by my neck, threw me on the ground, and got on top of me,” she recounted. Despite this, school staff told Randall that the officer’s actions were warranted and not excessive.

Randall, whose son has asthma, fears that the chokehold could have resulted in serious harm. “He can do that to somebody else’s child, and the next thing you know, not being lucky like my kid, something could have happened,” she said.

In response, Tulsa Public Schools issued a statement emphasizing their commitment to student safety. They outlined their Behavior Response Plan, suggesting that physical restraint may be used as a last resort to de-escalate situations involving students at risk of harming themselves or others.

“Nothing matters more than keeping students safe in our schools,” the statement read. The district encouraged families to report safety concerns through their safety hotline at 918-480-SAFE.