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Deputy uses pepper spray on Cumberland high school student

A Cumberland County sheriff's deputy used pepper spray Tuesday while trying to subdue a Seventy-First High School student, authorities said.

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FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — A Cumberland County sheriff's deputy used pepper spray Tuesday while trying to subdue a Seventy-First High School student, authorities said.
In a video posted to Instagram, a student can be seen arguing with the deputy before the deputy grabs the student and sprays him in the face. The video, posted by user th3realkiddo, shows students crowded around the altercation.

[Note: The video and comments contain graphic language]

Authorities said two girls were fighting in the high school's bus parking lot when the school resource officer intervened to break it up. A 16-year-old then "interjected himself into the situation," authorities said.

The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office is reviewing the deputy's use of pepper spray in the incident.

The 16-year-old was charged with resisting a public officer and possession of marijuana.

In a statement, Cumberland County Schools directed questions to the sheriff's office.

"Per the Feb. 6 incident at Seventy-First High School, there are consequences for our students' actions that led up to the event per the Cumberland County Schools' Student Code of Conduct," a spokeswoman said in the statement.

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