Sheriff Deputy Who Slammed Highschool Student in SC Fired - from TRUNEWS

The white sheriff’s deputy who is under federal investigation after he was caught on video flipping a black high school student out of her classroom chair in South Carolina was fired on Wednesday for violating department policy.

Deputy Ben Fields went too far when he picked up the 16-year-old and hurtled her across a classroom before arresting her, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott told a news conference.

“That is not a proper technique and should not be used by law enforcement,” Lott said.

The officer’s dismissal came two days after videos by students at Spring Valley High School in Columbia recorded his rough handling of the teenager who Lott said had refused educators’ orders to put away her phone and leave the class.

The videos quickly went viral, reigniting concerns that the proliferation of police in U.S. schools can criminalize behavior once handled more quietly by school officials.

A civil rights probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Justice Department into the arrest is under way. Some activists are calling for Fields, 34, to be criminally charged.

The sheriff said the student, arrested on a charge of disturbing school, also should be held accountable. The girl hit the officer as he tried to remove her from the class, Lott said.

“She was very disruptive, she was very disrespectful and she started this whole incident with her actions,” the sheriff said.

Fields, who had worked for the sheriff’s office since 2004 and joined its school resource officer program in 2008, has not commented.

Since Monday’s incident, some students have said they referred to the deputy as “Officer Slam” for his aggressive tactics. A federal lawsuit accusing him of targeting African-American students with false allegations of gang membership is set for trial in January.

The sheriff’s office has not released Fields’ personnel record. But Lott said none of the past complaints against the deputy came from the school district, where the sheriff noted Fields was respected as a school resource officer. An elementary school where he is also assigned presented him with a “Culture of Excellence Award” last year.

The teacher and administrator who witnessed Fields’ encounter with the student felt he acted appropriately, Lott said.

“They had no problems with the physical part,” Lott said. “I’m the one who had a problem with it.”

Supporters of the deputy voiced their displeasure over his firing under the hashtag #IStandWithBenFields on social media, countering an earlier #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh hashtag that trended within hours of the incident.

Lott said the girl was not hurt but her lawyer told ABC’s Good Morning America she suffered injuries after being “brutally attacked.”

“She now has a cast on her arm, she has neck and back injuries,” lawyer Todd Rutherford said. “She has a Band-Aid on her forehead where she suffered rug burn.”

A member of a Columbia-based Christian clergy alliance said the incident was proof that South Carolina’s zero-tolerance policy toward “disrupting school” needed to be changed.

“It pained me to see children brought to court for talking loud in class or criminalizing behaviors that were clearly a mistake,” said Bishop C.L. Laurick Sr., who attended the sheriff’s press conference. “There seems to be a lack of balance.”

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