Rolesville officer seen slamming girl in violent video resigns
Officer Ruben De Los Santos, who was featured in a cell phone video slamming a Rolesville High School student to the ground, resigned on Thursday, according to the Rolesville chief of police.
Posted — Updated
De Los Santos was visible in a video on Twitter posted by a student picking up a female student and slamming her to the floor. He had been on administrative leave since the video surfaced on Jan. 3.
Rolesville Police Chief Bobby Langston did not offer any other reason for De Los Santos' resignation. Rather, he praised his service and explained his actions.
Langston wrote:
"During Officer De Los Santos tenure with the Town, he was respected by his peers and the community at large. Officer De Los Santos was even selected as 2016 Officer of the Year for the Town of Rolesville Police Department. In this profession, law enforcement officers must make split-second decisions in tense and rapidly evolving circumstances. Sometimes that split second decision doesn’t define the long-standing character of the officer."
Langston said De Los Santos was trying to break up a fight involving three girls – a fight he described as "premeditated."
Desiree Harrison, the mother of the girl in the video, called it "embarrassing" and said it left her in shock.
Harrison acknowledged that one of her daughters had been in a fight and said the other daughter was coming to her aid when De Los Santos grabbed her.
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
