The U.S. has opened a federal civil rights investigation after a police officer violently arrested and threw a female high school student across a classroom at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, S.C.
In the video, which has been described by South Carolina officials as “disturbing,” officer Ben Fields can be seen walking up to the student and attempting to pull her out of her desk, before flipping the desk over and dragging the student some distance across the room. The other students, as well as the teacher who initially called Fields to the classroom, all watch in silence.
The video was taken on Monday and quickly went viral on social media.
The full video of the Spring Valley High School Police Officer brutally assaulting a peaceful student. pic.twitter.com/oHIS8GrtSS
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) October 26, 2015
According to Lt. Curtis Wilson, a spokesperson for the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, Fields was called to the classroom after a report was sent of the student being disruptive in class and refusing to leave, even after being asked by the teacher and the vice principal. Richland County Councilman Damon Jeter, told BuzzFeed News that even though the video doesn’t show the exchange between Fields and the student leading up to the incident, the officer’s actions were completely unnecessary and unwarrented.
“Regardless of whatever verbal confrontation took place before the video started recording, I just can’t image a man in uniform going to that drastic measure to put someone under custody,” he told BuzzFeed. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
Fields has now been placed on administrative leave.