Riverside County sheriff’s officials are investigating a report of a school resource officer who allegedly used excessive force on a female student while responding to an altercation less than a block away from a Moreno Valley high school campus.
On Tuesday, a school resource deputy was alerted to a fight between two students just off the school campus at 3:47 p.m., said Deirdre Vickers, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.
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 disclose 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 started 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 them. The video shows the officer forcefully yanking the student around, and when the student attempted to get up, the officer pushed her to the ground.
“While attempting to detain and handcuff one of the juveniles, they pulled away, resulting in a use of force,” Vickers said.
Paramedics were requested and responded to evaluate the student, who was ultimately taken into custody for suspicion of battery and resisting arrest, according to the sheriff’s department.
“This is an ongoing investigation, and no further details are available at this time,” she said.
Officials said the deputy involved in the incident has since been reassigned from the school resource program pending an internal investigation.
“The Riverside Sheriff’s Office takes each use of force very seriously and makes every effort 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 that is circulating online, “showing the arrest of one of our female students and the way she was treated,” officials told The Times.
“We’re fully cooperating with the authorities, but we have to 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.
