Federal authorities have been asked to launch a probe into a high school student’s arrest by a school resource officer, after a video tape of the incident showed the officer slamming the girl to the ground and dragging her across the classroom.
Deputy Sheriff Ben Fields, who is white, is drawing criticism after the video spread on social media of the incident involving a black student. He has been placed on administrative duties, he will not be patrolling streets or working as a school resource officer.
Richland County, South Carolina, Sheriff Leon Lott has asked the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department to launch independent investigations of the incident amid a wave of scrutiny of the use of force by police officers, especially against minorities.
School District Board of Trustees member James Manning said that “the amount of force used on a female student by a male officer appears to me to be excessive and unnecessary.”
In the video, Fields approaches the girl, who had refused a teacher’s request to leave the classroom. The deputy is seen wrapping his arm under the girl’s chin and flipping the desk with her in it. He is then seen dragging her from the chair and tossing her on the floor.
The girl does not appear to resist or argue with the officer. She was arrested for disturbing school and later released to her family.
Photo: Richland County Sheriff’s Department Officer Senior Deputy Ben Fields is pictured with Karen Beaman (R), Principal of Lonnie B. Nelson Elementary School after receiving Culture of Excellence Award at Lonnie B. Nelson Elementary School in Columbia, South Carolina on November 12, 2014. REUTERS/Richland County Sheriff’s Department/Handout
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