Louisville cop arrested for punching one teen, putting another in chokehold at school

A Kentucky police officer is accused of punching one 13-year-old student and putting another in a chokehold while working as a school resource officer.

Jonathan Hardin was dismissed Tuesday from the Louisville Metro Police Department following his arrest on assault, official misconduct, wanton endangerment, and false swearing charges.

The 31-year-old Hardin is accused of striking a teenage boy in the face with his closed fist Jan. 22 after he saw the student cut in line at the cafeteria of Olmstead Academy North.

He then cited the boy for menacing and resisting arrest, which police said Hardin had no probable cause to do.

Hardin was accused five days later of putting another teen in a chokehold until he lost consciousness and then handcuffed the boy instead of seeking medical treatment.

The officer drove the teen home and dropped him off without telling the boy’s parents what had happened.

Doctors determined this week that the boy had suffered a brain injury due to loss of blood flow during the incident, and they said the officer’s actions could have killed the teen.

Hardin was sued last year by a student who claimed the officer physically abused him when he worked last summer at the Gentleman’s Academy, which is operated by police and the University of Louisville.

A 14-year-old claimed Hardin grabbed him by the neck, pulled him out of bed at 3 a.m., and forced him to do pushups for an hour without water.

The program’s mental health director said the teen reported the abuse to her, and she said she was dismissed from the university’s clinical psychology program after she spoke up about the officer.

The teen’s lawsuit names Hardin and two other officers, Officer Clayton Reeves and Col. Yvette Gentry, who worked in the program.

Watch this video report posted online by WHAS-TV: