Wisconsin Woman Allegedly Knelt On Son's Neck, Asked If He 'Wanted To Die Like George Floyd'

A Wisconsin woman was charged Friday, July 17, for allegedly abusing her 14-year-old son by kneeling on his neck.

Police responded to an apartment on Hunters Ridge Drive on June 20 after receiving a call from a boy saying his mother attacked him and was "trying to get into the room he is in." The officers found the victim with abrasions on his neck and bite marks on his shoulder.

The accused, identified as 37-year-old Keriann Smith, reportedly pinned the victim to the floor before placing her knee on his neck, according to the criminal complaint. She then asked him if he wanted to die like George Floyd, the African-American man who died after an officer knelt on his neck for almost eight minutes.

The accused asked the boy, "Do you want to know how George Floyd died? He died something like this. Do you want to die just like him?"

"Tell me you can't breathe, tell me," she allegedly told him, the Journal Times reported.

The boy’s sister recorded the alleged assault and gave it to the police. In the video, the mother, who weighed 135 pounds, was reportedly seen placing her knee on the boy’s throat for close to 50 seconds as he gasped for air.

According to the complaint, the boy told the police his mother "had done it before" and that he feared for his life. Prosecutors claimed the mother-son duo crossed paths while police were in their home and the boy "jumped away and looked noticeably frightened by his mother."

Investigation revealed Smith had also choked and punched her daughter. Police also allegedly found prescription drug trazodone and marijuana at their apartment.

Following an investigation, Smith was charged with physical abuse of a child and strangulation/suffocation. She was additionally charged with possession of THC and illegally obtained prescription, disorderly conduct and misdemeanor battery. Smith, who was released on bond, was scheduled to appear in court Aug.3.