An investigation has been launched after a shocking video surfaced of a law enforcement officer slamming a student into a lunch cart in a Texasschool.
The incident unfolded at around 12.45pm on Wednesday at Nimitz High School in Irving, Texas, when a fight broke out inside the school cafeteria, according to the Irving Police Department.
Officers assigned to the school responded to the incident to try to separate several students who were brawling in the lunch line.
Shocking footage, circulating on social media, captures two officers on the scene amid the loud commotion.
One of the officers – an unidentified male – is seen grabbing a student and hurling him onto a lunch cart in the midst of the furore.
The student crashes onto the cart before falling to the floor while the officer turns his attention to other people.
When the student stands up again, the officer returns and shoves him to the ground for a second time.
The same officer is also seen less forcibly pushing other students away.
It is not clear what led to the initial fight or if the student and officer had any interaction before or after the 18-second clip was filmed.
Irving Police said in a statement that the officers had used force to separate and detain the students involved in the fight.
However, after seeing the cellphone footage, an internal investigation has now been launched into the incident.
“The Irving Police Department reviews every use of force to ensure policies and procedures are appropriately applied,” the department said.
“We have seen video clips from this fight shared on social media and an internal investigation has begun.”
The officer who pushed the student has been reassigned while the investigation is ongoing, police said.
He has not been suspended over the incident.
Meanwhile, the students involved in the fight are being referred for a class C misdemeanor of fighting in public, reported NBC News.
The Independent has reached out to Irving Police Department for further information.
