A shocking viral video showing a deputy body-slamming a sixth-grade student outside of a school in Fort Pierce, Florida has worried parents. The 15-second cellphone video shows the school resource deputy take off after the student and slam him down on the grass outside the school Tuesday, WXYZ Detroit reports.
Here’s the video, which has indeed gone viral with more than 200,000 views. However, be forewarned that it is disturbing.
In another video, the student is seen being led away in handcuffs.
According to a recently released incident report, a school resource deputy said the 11-year-old student was being suspended from school was running around and not responding to commands from the school staff, WPTV reports. The incident occurred at Lincoln Park Academy on April 9.
The report stated the unnamed student was being disruptive, having chest-bumped another person. The youngster is in a Diversion Program and had been arrested five days prior for alleged aggravated assault, school staff said.
The student had been sent to the Dean’s office where he continued to be disruptive as he waited for his parents to arrive. Eventually, he walked out of the office, ignoring commands by staff members and the Assistant Principal asked the deputy to bring the student back to the office.
According to the deputy, the boy ignored his commands and “continued walking with his fist clenched and had an agitated expression on his face. His brows were turned down and he was punching his fist into the palm of his hand.”
Then the deputy said he moved close enough to grab the student, but at that point, the kid ran away and “continued pulling away, twisting and turning his body.”
In the next step, the deputy spun to the left, forcing the student to the ground, the incident report stated.
“That’s kind of rough to be at a school campus, he didn’t have to slam him down like that,” said General Platt, who watched the video while picking up his twins on Wednesday.
“I would have freaked out if I saw that in person,” said Jazmine Arias, while she waited for her sister. “He’s a kid, I don’t think a little kid should be thrown to the ground like that.”
At a Wednesday press conference, St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said the deputy didn’t use excessive force and cited earlier moments that occurred prior to the video.
“Our school resource deputy is very familiar with this student and knows he has a violent history, including possessing weapons,” the sheriff said.
Mascara noted school officials recently confiscated a knife the student was carrying and staff members have had to escort him around the school because he’s been aggressive towards staff and students.
“At the end of the day, the deputy did everything he could to diffuse the situation, and his use of force fell within the legal and our agency guidelines,” Mascara said.
The deputy has served as a school resource officer for eight years — with three of those years at Lincoln Park Academy, he said, adding that the deputy has never had a complaint of excessive force. But one has to wonder if solving violence by using what looks very much like violence is going to teach a kid anything other than how to react with even more aggression.
Now, this boy faces a number of charges — including assault and disorderly conduct. After a brief trip to the hospital, he left with a band-aid. A mental health evaluation has been scheduled, his grandfather told WPTV.
Featured image courtesy of the Facebook video above
