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Oregon deputies accused of pinning child by neck

This July 16 photo shows Jarena McDavid’s son, Ka’Mar Benbo, a 12-year-old boy, in Portland. The mother of Benbo, now 13, filed a $300,000 lawsuit Thursday, saying three sheriff’s deputies near Portland pinned him to the ground, one by pressing a knee on his neck, outside a suburban mall. (Jarena McDavid)
Associated Press</p><p>

CLACKAMAS, Ore. – The mother of an African American boy filed a $300,000 lawsuit Thursday, saying three sheriff’s deputies near Portland pinned him to the ground – one by pressing a knee on his neck – outside a suburban mall after the 12-year-old witnessed a fight and was walking away.

The incident happened last August, more than nine months before widespread national outrage over the killing of George Floyd on May 25 after he was put in a similar chokehold by Minneapolis police.

The boy, Ka’Mar Benbo, is now 13 but was 12 at the time and the friends he was with repeatedly told Clackamas County deputies his age, the lawsuit said.

A spokesperson for the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office didn’t respond to a request for comment Thursday from the Associated Press.

Chris Owen, spokesman for the Clackamas County District Attorney, said nothing had been submitted to prosecutors.

“If we get presented the necessary information, we will certainly evaluate it,” he said.