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The Fairfield Police Department has launched an investigation following the circulation of online videos allegedly depicting an officer striking a student at Fairfield High School, FOX40 reports.
The videos, which have been thoroughly reviewed by the news outlet, capture the moment an officer appears to repeatedly hit a student. The footage shows the student being brought to the ground, receiving several blows before a second officer intervenes.
In response to the incident, the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District communicated with families of Fairfield High, explaining that a “fight amongst multiple students” broke out at the conclusion of lunch on Wednesday.
According to the school’s statement, a Fairfield Police Department officer who was present at the school called for backup during the incident.
Both school authorities and the police department are actively investigating the matter. The school district has advised directing all inquiries to the Fairfield police. In response, a police spokesperson issued a comprehensive statement outlining the situation and released multiple segments of body camera footage related to the incident.
“The department is aware of a video circulating online of a Fairfield Police Officer using force against a student in this incident,” Fairfield police said. “The department is committed to transparency in this incident.”
A Fairfield police officer stationed as Fairfield High’s school resource officer responded to the fight at about 12:34 p.m. on Wednesday, the department said, and called for backup.
The department’s statement recounted a blow-by-blow account of officers’ response to the fight and noted that two students were arrested for causing a disturbance on campus and resisting arrest.
Fairfield police said that after an officer escorted one student to the office, another continued to “try to fight” and ignored instructions from the officer.
When that second student was being detained after striking an officer, he “quickly pulled away.” The officer then threw that student to the ground, using what police described as a “takedown technique.”
While on the ground, the student placed his hands over his head and covered his face. Police say the student resisted being handcuffed and tensed his arms, leaving the officer “unable to overcome his resistance.”
The department described the officer’s repeated blows as “distraction strikes” that led to the student’s eventual arrest.
Students and parents told FOX40 the video was hard to watch, and some students chanted and rallied in support of the student shown in the video as they school day ended Thursday.
A Fairfield High parent, who is also family friends of the student involved in the incident said the student’s father is a football coach at the school.
“This is unnecessary and it was uncalled for,” Nickie Williams said, calling it an “injustice.”
“There is no excuse for child abuse,” she added. “The child was already down on the ground. He posed on threat. There was no reason for the excessive force.”
FOX40 reporter Cedric Hood contributed to this story.