Officer Ruben De Los Santos has been placed on administrative  leave following his actions during a fight at Rolesville High School in Wake County, North Carolina on Tuesday morning. Video footage captured De Los Santos picking up a Black female student and slamming her to the ground before walking her away from the scene. 

“We will work diligently to review any and all pertinent information so that we provide an accurate account of the events,”Rolesville Police Chief Bobby Langston said in a prepared statement. “We ask the community and all members involved to be patient while we investigate this matter.”

The News & Observer reports that the fight broke out in the school’s cafeteria shortly after 7 o’clock Tuesday morning. By that same evening, De Los Santos had been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into his actions after a nine-second video of the incident was posted on Twitter and went viral.
“I understand this incident brings up questions and conversations about the manner in which we keep students and staff safe in our schools,” Rolesville High Principal Dhedra Lassiter said in a phone message to families. “We will continue to be in conversation as we learn additional information.”
While the Rolesville police conducts an investigation the American Civil Liberties Union will also conduct their own.
According to his LinkedIn, De Los Santos has been a resource officer at Rolesville High School since February 2012. The school system Rolesville is a part of has a contract with local police to provide an armed officer at every high school and most middle schools who are supposed to be trained in “cultural competency and nondiscriminatory administration of school discipline.”
Many parents, students and concerned citizens have been asking about the safety in schools and how officers like De Los Santos let things escalate to that point.