Video shows deputy violently arresting Moreno Valley high school student

A Moreno Valley high school campus is at the center of a shocking video circulating on social media. It shows a school resource officer manhandling a student, yanking her up onto a brick wall after apparently separating her from a fight. 

"He was pushing her against the wall," said Nathan, a student at Vista Del Lago High School. "Her lip was slit open. It was all bad."

Father Steven Moore said his son goes to the school and describes the incident as an "assault on a minor." He acknowledged that there are a fair number of fights near the campus, but did not believe that it warranted the way the girl was treated.

"I mean, she wasn't a threat," Moore said. "She looked like she was about 70 pounds. And he continued with brutal force."

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office said the girl pulled away from the deputy when he was trying to detain her. She was ultimately arrested for battery and resisting arrest.

"The deputy involved has since been reassigned from the school resource program pending an internal investigation," the Sheriff's Office wrote. "The Riverside Sheriff's Office takes each use of force very seriously and makes every effort to de-escalate these situations whenever possible. As with all use-of-force incidents, a review will be conducted to ensure compliance with our policy and training standards."

Students like Nathan believe the deputy could have handled the situation differently. 

"I feel like he could have handled it better," he said. "Could have just grabbed her. Didn't have to rough her up the wall."

Moreno Valley Unified School District Superintendent Alejandro Ruvalcaba denounced the deputy's actions. 

"Our District is deeply concerned by the online video showing the arrest of one of our female students by a Riverside County Sheriff's Department School Resource Officer," he wrote. "The manner in which the officer handled this incident and treated our female student contradicts the District's vision and commitment to student safety and respect."

The district said it is cooperating with the investigation and has contacted the girl's family to offer support.