Students Who Caught #AssaultatSpringValleyHigh on Camera Speak Out
Two Spring Valley High School students are speaking out after the horrific incident in a math class in Columbia, South Carolina when student resource officer Ben Fields tackled and dragged a student out of her desk.
Tony Robinson Jr., who filmed the incident, told News19 that the girl in the confrontation had her phone out near her computer and the teacher had asked for it. When she refused to hand it over, an administrator and Officer Fields were called in. Robinson said things escalated when the student wouldn't comply with the officer's request to move from her desk and said, "I don't even know who you are" to the officer.
"I've never seen anything so nasty looking, so sick to the point that you know, other students are turning away, don't know what to do and are just scared for their lives," Robinson said. "That's supposed to be somebody that's going to protect us, not somebody that we need to be scared off, or afraid."
Officer Fields has been placed on administrative leave, pending results of an investigation.
"It's very disturbing what happened today," said Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, according to WLTX 19. "It's something I have to deal with and that's what we're going to be doing."
Another student in the class, Niya Kenny, also spoke to WLTX 19 in Columbia. She said she was "crying and screaming like a baby" as she watched what happened.
"I was in disbelief. I know this girl don't got nobody and I couldn't believe this was happening," Kenny explained. "I had never seen nothing like that in my life, a man use that much force on a little girl. A big man, like 300 pounds of full muscle. I was like 'no way, no way.' You can't do nothing like that to a little girl."
Kenny filmed a six-second version of the arrest.
"I was screaming, 'What the f? What the f is this really happening?' I was praying out loud for the girl," Kenny said. "I just couldn't believe this was happening I was just crying and he said, since you have so much to say, you are coming too. I just put my hands behind my back."
Kenny was charged with disturbing schools, according to WLTX.
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(Photo: WLTX News19 via CBS)
