Girl beaten by guard in November now charged with felony

A 16-year-old girl whose beating by a King County sheriff's deputy was captured on camera is now facing a felony harassment charge for allegedly threatening another teenager at Westfield Southcenter mall.

Malika Calhoun pleaded not guilty Wednesday morning to the harassment charge as well as a charge of criminal trespassing, a gross misdemeanor, in King County Juvenile Court.

According to charging papers, the alleged victim said she was standing in line at the mall's Cinnabon counter on Feb. 2 when she overheard two other girls say they were angry at her for some slight she had committed against a 17-year-old friend. Later that day, the 17-year-old and Calhoun approached the alleged victim at the mall, the papers state.

Calhoun reportedly became angry and said, "I will come back with a burner ... and shoot you in the face," according to charging papers. "Burner" is a slang term for a handgun, court documents said.

The alleged victim's mother was with her at the time. She separated the girls and called 911, court papers say. Tukwila police officers arrested Calhoun and the 17-year-old at the mall. The 17-year-old was not charged.

The two teenagers had been issued trespass warnings a day earlier in which they had agreed not to return to the mall for a year, investigators said. It's unclear from court documents why they were barred from returning to the mall.

In a separate incident in November, Calhoun was arrested for investigation of auto theft. While she was in a holding cell at SeaTac City Hall, prosecutors say Sheriff's Deputy Paul Schene, 31, beat her. Schene was charged with fourth-degree misdemeanor assault.

Surveillance video shows Calhoun, then 15, kick her tennis shoe toward the deputy while he was closing the holding cell door.

Schene went into the cell and threw Calhoun against a wall. He knocked her to the floor, held her down, with another deputy, and punched her. He then picked her up by her hair and walked her out of the cell.

The video was released in late February after several media outlets, including The Seattle Times, requested copies. Viewers have expressed outrage over Calhoun's treatment.

After the video was released, Calhoun and her father were interviewed on the CBS-TV's "The Morning Show."

The U.S. Department of Justice is reviewing the videotape to determine whether Calhoun's civil rights may have been violated.

Schene was released on his own recognizance after he was charged. He's now on administrative leave from the Sheriff's Office.

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com

Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report.