Officer Ruben De Los Santos is a school resource officer who can be seen in the below video, slamming 15-year-old Jasmine Darwin to the ground. Because of the force that De Los Santos used to pick up Jasmine and then slam Darwin to the ground, the video is getting lots of attention — and Ruben is getting lots of backlash. The North Carolina school resource officer was put on paid administrative leave after the video went viral on Twitter.
According to WITN , Jasmine was body-slammed by Ruben at Rolesville High School on Tuesday morning. The high school is located near Raleigh. What makes the incident even more disturbing are witness reports that claim Darwin was actually trying to break up a fight between Jasmine’s sister and another person when De Los Santos grabbed Jasmine from behind, picked her up, and then slammed her to the ground.
Jasmine, who appeared very slight in size and perhaps half the size of Ruben, seemed dazed as she remained still on the ground for a second or two after being slammed with a great amount of force. After the incident, Darwin’s mother took Jasmine to a hospital on Tuesday evening for Jasmine to be medically evaluated. De Los Santos has worked at the Rolesville High School for four years.
UPDATE – Ruben De Los Santos, the officer involved in the Rolesville High incident is on administrative leave https://t.co/ox7oCmXVUE
— ABC11 EyewitnessNews (@ABC11_WTVD) January 4, 2017
Besides the above viral eight-second video above, there is additional body-cam footage of the incident — but it won’t be released prior to the completion of an investigation into the event. De Los Santos can be seen pulling Jasmine up and nearly dragging Jasmine away from the scene after he body-slammed her to the ground. The original video has gotten thousands of retweets and likes on Twitter.
THIS. IS. NOT OKAY. #rolesvillehigh pic.twitter.com/lHMhUZxqAR
— ahunnaaaa_ (@ahunnaaa_) January 3, 2017
According to the Daily Mail , De Los Santos was placed on paid leave after a body-slam so hard against Jasmine that it caused the students around Darwin to scream out in shock and awe. It is not yet known what happened prior to the above video or after Jasmine was body-slammed by Ruben. What is know is that the city’s mayor and Bobby Langston, chief of police, plan to update the public about the incident — even as a stream of comments flow into social media about the melee. Not only will the body-cam footage of any school resource officers like De Los Santos be reviewed, but CCTV footage from any of the school’s security cameras will be reviewed during closed-door meetings as well.
“Every time I look at it I cry. I’m embarrassed.” – Jasmine Darwin talks to us about video. Mother says police actions were excessive. #wral pic.twitter.com/CMHJ38IEfU
— Candace Sweat (@CandaceNBC5) January 3, 2017
The parents will be emailed, and the disturbing event will be discussed further. For now, a sampling of some of the comments being posted on social media about the viral video showing Ruben body-slamming Darwin to the ground can be read on Twitter.
Latest on Rolesville video showing officer slamming a student to floor, w/ statements from police chief, principal. https://t.co/jDaQGuMIYy
— CBS 17 (@WNCN) January 4, 2017
As reported by WNCN , parents received the following automated phone call message about the incident.
“Good Evening. This is Ms. Lassiter, principal at Rolesville High School, calling to inform you of an issue affecting our school today. This morning, school staff addressed an altercation in the hallway of our school. An SRO assigned to our school responded to the fight. A video of the incident, widely shared on social media, has prompted questions about the response. WCPSS security is currently in the process of working with the Rolesville Police Department to gather all of the details about the incident to ensure that appropriate action is taken. As you know, I care deeply about our school. I have always tried to keep you informed. I will share more information about the incident as soon as I am able. Thank you for your continued support and cooperation. Have a good night.”
[Featured Image by Alan Poulson Photography /Shutterstock]