South Carolina officer fired for violently arresting student
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
South Carolina school officer Ben Fields has been fired for "violating department standards" following an internal investigation of an incident captured on video in which Fields pulled an African-American high school student out of her desk and threw her across the classroom, Richland County authorities announced Wednesday. The student was allegedly resisting arrest.
"Even though she was wrong for disturbing the class, even though she refused to abide by the directions of the teacher, the school administrator, and also the verbal commands of our deputy, I'm looking at what our deputy did," Sheriff Leon Lott said at a news conference Wednesday.
Watch the video of the incident below. Becca Stanek
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com