A cell phone video of White school resource officer Ben Fields (pictured standing) reprimanding a Black female student (pictured) at Spring Valley High School in Richland County, South Carolina, by pulling her out of her chair and then throwing her across the room has shocked viewers and caused Sheriff Leon Lott to ask for an independent federal investigation.
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Fields was reportedly asked to assist a teacher, when the student allegedly refused to leave her classroom.
The video begins with Fields telling the student, “You’re either going to come with me, or I’m going to make you.”
The student is seen sitting quietly at her desk, face forward, just moments before the officer puts his arm around her neck from behind, causing both her and her desk to fall backward.
Fields then picks the student up with both hands and throws her to the front of the classroom.
Throughout the ordeal, the student, her peers, and her teacher remain eerily quiet, with fear palpable on some of the students’ faces.
Watch the #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh video here:
On Twitter, viewers mostly expressed disgust and disbelief with the hashtag #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh.
How long will it take for Officer Fields to say that he “feared for his life,” which caused him to assault her? #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh
— deray mckesson (@deray) October 26, 2015
Speaking as an ex-teacher: no-one who confuses violence with discipline should be allowed to deal with children. #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh
— Joanne Harris (@Joannechocolat) October 27, 2015
RETWEET if you agree This Racist Cop should be fired & arrested for this brutality. ?? #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh pic.twitter.com/AhzQ6WXM2l — سید فیاض علی #TeamIK (@IamTeamIK) October 27, 2015
Why didn’t the guy who killed 9 people in a church get body slammed the way this high school kid did???? #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh
— Ruba Wilson (@IamRubasworld) October 27, 2015
No running. No swimming. No changing lanes. No Standing. No praying And now no learning. #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh pic.twitter.com/SxrZBLiDAY — Bipartisan Report (@Bipartisanism) October 27, 2015
The police officer should be fired and the police department should be sued. #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh pic.twitter.com/yOsptB2jlx
— Rev Jesse Jackson Sr (@RevJJackson) October 27, 2015
Police Brutality has made its way into schools. When will it end? #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh pic.twitter.com/KgKyoRmp5I — BET (@BET) October 27, 2015
In addition to Fields being put on immediate administrative leave, Sheriff Lott has requested an independent investigation from both the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the U.S. Justice Department.
Lott called the video, which was released Monday afternoon, “disturbing,” shortening his trip to Chicago in light of the footage, “It’s very disturbing what happened today. It’s something I have to deal with and that’s what we’re going to be doing.”
Tony Robinson Jr., who took the cell phone video of the incident, says of the ordeal, “I’ve never seen anything so nasty looking, so sick to the point that, you know, other students are turning away, don’t know what to do, and are just scared for their lives.
“That’s supposed to be somebody that’s going to protect us. Not somebody that we need to be scared of or afraid.”
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