A video of a La Mesa, California, police officer reportedly slamming a Helix Charter High School student to the ground aroused an uproar in the community, with many residents demanding the officer’s dismissal after watching the film.
The encounter between the student and the police, which was recorded in a 30-second video. The video only shows a small part of what happened, but that didn’t stop people from sharing it widely on social media and talking about what they thought about it.
Police were summoned to Helix Charter High School after a suspended 17-year-old student refused to leave campus. The girl was allegedly high on drugs, and pepper spray was discovered when a teacher inspected her backpack. Since pepper spray is considered a weapon, it is not permitted on campus.
A school resource officer tried to force the suspended girl to leave campus on her own, but she resisted and did not cooperate. That’s when the police, who can be seen in the video, arrested her and led her to the school’s administration.
While they were walking, the student became noncompliant on two consecutive occasions and attempted to free herself by pulling away from the officer, said Walt Vasquez, chief of police in La Mesa, in a statement after the incident. The police pushed the student to the floor to stop her from fleeing, he continued.
According to the cops, the student sustained minor abrasions as a result of the assault. She was assessed by paramedics at the police station, though, and it was found that she did not need treatment for her bruises. Authorities are analyzing the event with the aid of the video footage, which can be viewed below.
La Mesa Police Officer Shown Body Slamming Teenage Girl In Facebook Video Is ReassignedA La Mesa police officer will no longer patrol schools after cell phone video captured him slamming a 17-year-old girl to the ground at Helix Charter High School Friday.
Posted by KPBS on Tuesday, 23 January 2018
As is customary in all incidents involving [the] use of force, the La Mesa Police Department will conduct a thorough investigation into the force used as well as the entire incident. Officials at Helix Charter High School are likewise well aware of the circumstances surrounding the event, according to Chief Vasquez.
The female student in this video is no angel—she was suspended from Helix Charter High School and then refused to leave school while high on drugs. She is hardly a model citizen. Additionally, the video of her arrest is merely a quick clip.
I will be completely shutting down my sisters school Helix High on Monday. ! I do not care what this young lady did. This officer had no right to slam her to the ground and she was handcuffed. I’m pissed! The whole school will get shutdown Monday!
Posted by Aeiramique Glass Blake on Saturday, 20 January 2018
The seconds before the officer’s takedown are not shown, leaving the audience to guess what occurred before the cameras began rolling. When these kinds of things aren’t taken into account, people often jump to conclusions that hurt the reputation of one of the people involved.
In this case, it is right to let the people in charge do their jobs and start an internal investigation. Making quick decisions or leaping to assumptions will not help.
