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A video of a teen girl being slammed to the ground by a deputy in San Bernardino County has been added to the list of recorded events that unsettle and provoke public reaction. On a Friday evening, at a high school football game in Victorville, California, a fight broke out near Victor Valley High School, summoning authorities to the scene as reported by CBS News Los Angeles.
Once authorities arrived, deputies attempted to disperse the crowd by deploying pepper balls towards the ground. However, even after backup efforts, the deputy's initial actions proved to be ineffective, and the crowd began moving towards him. As the situation escalated, a 16-year-old girl, identified as Faith Jeffers by KTLA, managed to grab the pepper ball launcher from a deputy. In response, the deputy allegedly pulled her away and she landed on the ground.
During the incident, another 16-year-old, Anthony Smiler, punched one of the deputies in the face, as per KTLA. This action resulted in Smiler's arrest, while Jeffers was hospitalized due to injuries sustained from the confrontation. The cell phone footage of the deputy slamming Jeffers to the ground has stirred public outrage on social media, prompting protests demanding justice and an investigation into the deputy's use of force.
Priscilla Jeffers, Faith's mother, expressed her concern not only for her daughter's physical injuries but also for the emotional trauma that might result from the incident during an interview with CBS News. Demonstrating the public's growing impatience with law enforcement misconduct, she said, "He attacked my daughter from behind. She's 16-years-old. He was a grown man and he attacked my daughter. Now my daughter is scarred, now she's messed up and I don't know how long she's gonna be messed up because of this." Similarly, Kelani Lynch, the mother of Smiler, insisted that her son is innocent and the deputy was in the wrong for using aggressive force against a minor.
As the community demands accountability, a protest took place on Sunday afternoon outside of the Victorville police station. While the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department acknowledged the public's right to a peaceful protest, they also warned that any violation of California penal codes and vehicle codes would not be protected by the First Amendment and arrests would be made if necessary. No arrests were made in connection to the protest, however, as noted by ABC7.
