Officer on administrative leave after slamming girl to the ground at school following fight
ROLESVILLE, North Carolina -- A video sent to sister station WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham shows a girl being picked up and thrown to the ground by a school resource officer at a North Carolina high school.
A second, longer video sent in to WTVD shows a dramatic fight between two girls at Rolesville High which led up to the incident.
In the original 8-second video, a group of students were congregated in an area and then the officer slams the girl on the floor. Police said there was a fight at the school Tuesday morning.
The second video shows two girls fighting each other, eventually ending up on the floor. The girls were throwing punches, kicking, and clawing at each other.
Rolesville Police released a statement Tuesday night saying a fight took place about 7:10 a.m. in the cafeteria area between two female students.
An eyewitness said the girl who was thrown to the ground was later involved, but was trying to break things up. Police have not confirmed that information.
Rolesville mayor Frank Eagles said the officer, Ruben De Los Santos, was placed on administrative leave. He said De Los Santos has been assigned to the school since it opened in 2013. Eagles said all officers were given body cameras in August.
Eagles told WTVD the Rolesville Chief of Police would talk about the incident after a regularly scheduled town meeting Tuesday night.
"We will work diligently to review any and all pertinent information so that we provide an accurate account of the events," police said in a statement Tuesday evening. "We ask the community and all members involved to be patients while we investigate this matter."
Police have asked the State Bureau of Investigations to conduct a third-party review.
Lisa Luten, a spokesperson for Wake County Public Schools, said they are aware of the situation.
"We are in the process of working with Rolesville Police Department to gather all of the details around this incident," Luten said.
After De Los Santos threw the girl to the ground, he led the girl off with her arms behind her back.
Wake County Public Schools responded on Twitter to the student who posted the video. They said they are working to investigate.
The ACLU of North Carolina tweeted in response to the video, calling it a "disturbing use of force."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
