The white sheriff’s deputy Ben Fields, who is under federal investigation after he was caught on video flipping a black high school student out of her classroom chair in South Carolina was fired on Wednesday for violating department policy.
Ben Fields was seen in the video, picking up the 16-year-old and hurtling her across a classroom before arresting her.
He went too far, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott told a news conference.
“That is not a proper technique and should not be used by law enforcement,” Lott said.
Civil rights groups and several elected officials applauded the officer’s dismissal, which came two days after videos by students at Spring Valley High School in Columbia recorded his rough handling of the teenager who Lott said had refused educators’ orders to put away her phone and leave the class.
The videos quickly went viral, reigniting concerns that the proliferation of police in U.S. schools can criminalize behavior once handled more quietly by school officials.
Credits: Reuters/CBSN