ST. CLOUD, Fla. – A school resource officer is being praised, after new body camera footage reveals how he handled a fight between two students at St. Cloud High school in Central Florida.
Saint Cloud Police officers said Officer Ball was trying to break up a fight between two 15-year-old students earlier this month when one of the students slammed him to the ground.
People can be heard in the video yelling for the student to stop as they pulled him off the officer who was later able to restrain him.
Police said the student grabbed the officer by the neck and threw him to the ground. Officer Ball gained control and was heard trying to calm the teen down.
Experts call Ball’s actions a “textbook example” of how an officer should react in this situation.
Eventually other officers arrived and handcuffed the teen who continued to resist arrest.
The St. Cloud Police Department Chief released a statement about the incident:
“Officer Ball was there to prevent two other students from harming each other. What occurred to Officer Ball was despicable and should never have happened. We will never tolerate behavior that targets our officers and will hold those accountable at the highest levels.”
The 15-year-old who attacked the officer is facing multiple charges including battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence.
No one was seriously injured.