Video captured during a brawl at a Southern California high school football game shows a sheriff's deputy slamming a teen girl to the ground after authorities said she tried to grab his pepper ball launcher.
The girl and her family deny the allegation stemming from the fight that broke out Friday at a game in the San Bernardino County community of Victorville. Faith Jeffers, 16, said the chaotic scene unfolded when a teen girl who had been bullying her started attacking her.
The fight turned into a brawl involving several teens. During the melee, a San Bernardino County deputy who works out of the Victorville Police Department deployed a pepper ball launcher -- a non-lethal weapon used to disperse large crowds -- into the ground, the department said.
"Upon arriving, the first deputy on scene discovered multiple parties involved in the fight," the sheriff's department said in a statement. "The deputy deployed pepper balls toward the ground in an effort to disperse the crowd, but the effort was ineffective, and the parties began moving toward the deputy. As additional deputies arrived, another pepper ball round was deployed toward the subjects and a 16-year-old female grabbed the pepper ball launcher.
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"A deputy pulled the female away causing her to land on the ground."
Video shows the deputy grab Faith, struggling with another individual, from behind and lift her off the ground before she was slammed to the ground.
"I thought he was going to, like, move me away from the fight, but he slammed me," Faith told NBCLA. "My head was down because she had my hair in her hand, and my hands were on my side the whole entire time."
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Faith said she suffered fractures to her neck, shoulder and back. She said she was knocked unconscious after striking the ground.
The brawl and video led to protests over the weekend at the police department headquarters.
"It's hurts me," mother Priscilla Jeffers said. "The image just stays in my head. I'm just so angry because I allowed her to go to a football game thinking she would be safe."
After Faith hit the ground, a friend can be seen on video in the background struggling with the deputy. The 16-year-old friend was arrested, accused of punching a deputy in the face.
The teen's family has denied allegations of assault on the deputy.
The boy was booked at High Desert Juvenile Hall. The sheriff's department said a report will be forwarded to the county district attorney attorney's office for possible charges.
"We continue to gather facts as we examine the distressing events after Friday night’s football game," Superintendent Carl Coles said in a statement. "We are fully cooperating with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department in their investigation. We have contacted the family to offer support to the student who suffered injuries. We request the community’s patience as this matter is still under investigation."
NBCLA reached out to the sheriff's department for further comment. A spokesperson said the case remains under investigation.
"As City leaders, we join with members of our community who have concerns about the incident that occurred at Victor Valley High School last Friday night," Mayor Debra Jones said in a statement. "We have been in communication with the leadership of both the Victor Valley Union High School District and San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department is investigating the incident.
"I ask for the community's patience as the investigation is conducted."
Anyone with information about the investigation was asked to contact the Victorville Police Department at 760-241-2911 or Sheriff’s Dispatch at 760-956-5001. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous was asked to call 1-800-78CRIME (27463) or leave information on the We-Tip website.
