Riverside County sheriff's officials are investigating a report of a school resource officer who allegedly used excessive force against a student while responding to an altercation less than a block from the campus of a Moreno Valley high school.
On Tuesday, a school resource officer was alerted to a fight between two students just outside the school campus at 3:47 p.m., said Deirdre Vickers, sheriff's office spokeswoman.
According to Instagram user Crowntownactivity, who posted a video of the encounter online, the incident occurred less than a mile from Vista del Lago High School; The account user did not reveal his name, citing privacy concerns.
The sheriff's office did not confirm the location of the incident.
One of Crowntownactivity's followers alerted him to the incident, and when he arrived at the scene, he said a female student was walking away from the other student when officers approached her and told her to stop, he told The Times.
When the Instagram user began recording the video, the student was on the ground with the school resource officer standing above her while holding her hands; Three other men were standing around him. The video shows the officer forcefully pulling the student and when the student tried to get up, the officer pushed her to the ground.
“As they attempted to detain and handcuff one of the juveniles, they walked away, prompting the use of force,” Vickers said.
Paramedics were requested and responded to evaluate the student, who was ultimately arrested on suspicion of assault and resisting arrest, according to the sheriff's department.
“This is an ongoing investigation and no further details are available at this time,” he said.
Officials said the officer involved in the incident has since been reassigned from the school resource program pending an internal investigation.
“The Riverside Sheriff's Office takes every use of force very seriously and does everything possible to de-escalate these situations whenever possible,” Vickers said. “As with all use of force incidents, a review will be conducted to ensure compliance with our policy and training standards.”
The Moreno Valley School District is aware of the incident and is concerned about the video circulating online, “showing the arrest of one of our students and the way she was treated,” officials told The Times.
“We are fully cooperating with authorities, but we must respect the integrity and privacy of the ongoing investigation, so at this time we have no additional details to share,” the district said in a statement.
