United States

Texas police investigate use of force after video of officer slamming student into lunch cart circulates

Police in Irving, Texas are investigating an officer’s use of force after video showing the officer slam a student into a lunch cart before pushing him down to the ground again began circulating on social media, according to police.

The officer has been reassigned while police look into the incident.

Several students began fighting on the lunch line at Nimitz High School on Wednesday when officers assigned to the school responded, according to a press release from the Irving Police Department. The fight broke out around 12:45p.m., police said.

In an 18-second clip shared on social media and confirmed by police to be of the incident, several students are seen in a school cafeteria, some of which are actively fighting with each other. Two officers are attempting to break up the fighting.

One of the officers is seen grabbing and throwing a student into a lunch cart before he falls onto the ground. When the student stands up, the officer again pushes him to the ground.

It is not clear what happened before or after the 18-second clip.

The Irving Police Department said the officers used force to separate and detain those involved in the fight.

“The Irving Police Department reviews every use of force to ensure policies and procedures are appropriately applied,” the department said in the statement. “We have seen video clips from this fight shared on social media and an internal investigation has begun.”

The officer who pushed the student to the ground twice has since been reassigned, meaning he will not be on the Nimitz High School campus, but will continue to work, police spokesperson Robert Reeves told NBC News.

As part of the investigation, Irving Police are speaking to the Irving Independent School District as well as the father of the student who the officer pushed repeatedly, Reeves said.

The Irving Independent School District did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The students involved in the fight are being referred to the Irving City Courts for a class C misdemeanor of fighting in public in accordance with Texas state law, according to Reeves.

Rania Soetirto contributed.



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