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 Deputy Ben Fields went too far when he picked up the 16-year-old
and hurtled her across a classroom before arresting her, Richland
County Sheriff Leon Lott told a news conference.
"That is not a proper technique and should not be used by law
enforcement," Lott said.
Civil rights groups and several elected officials applauded the
officer's dismissal, which came two days after videos by students at
Spring Valley High School in Columbia recorded his rough handling of
the teenager who Lott said had refused educators' orders to put away
her phone and leave the class.
The videos quickly went viral, reigniting concerns that the
proliferation of police in U.S. schools can criminalize behavior
once handled more quietly by school officials.
A civil rights probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and
Justice Department into the arrest is under way and the state law
enforcement division also is investigating. Some activists are
calling for Fields, 34, to be criminally charged.
 The sheriff said the student, arrested on a charge of disturbing
school, also should be held accountable. The girl hit the officer as
he tried to remove her from the class, Lott said.
"She was very disruptive, she was very disrespectful and she started
this whole incident with her actions," the sheriff said.
Fields, who had worked for the sheriff's office since 2004 and
joined its school resource officer program in 2008, has not
commented. His attorney released a statement on Wednesday defending
his actions.
"We believe that Mr. Fields' actions were justified and lawful
throughout the circumstances of which he was confronted during this
incident," attorney Scott J. Hayes said in the statement, according
to local media reports.
It noted that Fields declined to speak about what happened at this
time, as the case remains under federal investigation.
Some students said they called the deputy "Officer Slam" for his
aggressive tactics. A federal lawsuit accusing him of targeting
African-American students with false allegations of gang membership
is set for trial in January.
The sheriff's office has not released Fields' personnel record. Lott
said none of the past complaints against him came from the school
district, where the sheriff noted he was respected as a school
resource officer. An elementary school where he is also assigned
gave him a "Culture of Excellence Award" last year.
The teacher and administrator who witnessed the encounter felt
Fields acted appropriately, Lott said.
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"They had no problems with the physical part," Lott said. "I’m the
one who had a problem with it."
Supporters of the deputy voiced their displeasure over his firing
under the hashtag #IStandWithBenFields on social media, countering
an earlier #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh hashtag that trended within
hours of the incident.
Lott said the girl was not hurt but her lawyer told ABC's Good
Morning America she suffered injuries after being "brutally
attacked."
"She now has a cast on her arm, she has neck and back injuries,"
said lawyer Todd Rutherford, who also serves as minority leader in
the state's House of Representatives. "She has a Band-Aid on her
forehead where she suffered rug burn."
The altercation occurred in a school district where African-American
students make up nearly 59 percent of its 27,500 pupils. A black
parents association has raised concerns about the rate at which
African-American students are suspended and expelled there.
Outside Spring Valley High on Wednesday, Kennedy Scott, 15, said her
classmates were split in their opinions of Fields' actions.
"Everybody has a different point of view," she said.
The teen's mother, Raquell Scott, 36, said the deputy deserved to be
fired for slamming the student to the ground.
"It was terrible," the mother said. "He handled her like she was on
the street."
(Additional reporting and writing by Colleen Jenkins in
Winston-Salem, N.C.; Editing by James Dalgleish and Alan Crosby)
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