CLACKAMAS, Ore. — Jarena McDavid said her son's interaction with deputies from the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office in August 2019 changed his life forever.
"He's afraid," she said. "That was his contact with police and it wasn't a good one, so it changed his aspect of how they treat us Black people."
McDavid says her son, Ka'Mar Benbo, and some friends were at the Clackamas Town Center when a fight broke out. McDavid said Ka'Mar, then only 12 years old, and his friends watched the fight before leaving. McDavid says the group was stopped by deputies. She believes her son was singled out for being a Black boy.
"He stopped and was in the middle of sitting down and they handled him roughly," she said. "They pulled him down to the ground. Three officers for a 12-year-old was traumatizing to me."
According to a lawsuit filed Wednesday, deputies elbowed Ka'Mar in the face and pushed him to the ground. The lawsuit alleges a deputy used a knee on Ka'Mar's neck, making it difficult to breathe.
"I don't know what he was thinking," said McDavid. "Where's my mom and it breaks my heart."
Even more so because Ka'Mar was never charged with a crime.
McDavid believes there must have been a violation of policies or laws on behalf of the deputies. She filed an official complaint with the sheriff's office. They conducted an investigation and found that no deputy ever put a knee on Ka'Mar's neck and ultimately their actions were lawful and proper.
The family attorney does not buy it.
"Putting a knee to the neck and cutting off oxygen to a 12-year-old can't be within policy," said attorney Jason Kafoury. "That's why we need the Oregon Legislature to ban chokeholds and knee to the neck maneuvers like this. Someone is going to get killed."
Ka'Mar Benbo was not killed, but McDavid thinks her son will live with this forever.
"He's quiet and more afraid," she said. "Who should feel like that? Nobody."
The family's lawsuit filed against Clackamas County is for $300,000.
Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts released a statement Thursday reiterating that the department's investigation showed that deputies never put a knee on Ka'Mar's neck. He said deputies are trained not to restrict a person's airway or impede their ability to breathe.
About two months after the incident, the sheriff's office took part in a community listening session connected to what happened.