The South Carolina cop who roughly arrested a disruptive high school student deserved to get fired — but the pupil he slammed against the floor should not be turned into a hero, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales tells
Newsmax TV.
"You have to look at these things in context," Gonzales said Wednesday on "The Hard Line" with Ed Berliner.
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"While it's clear that the student started this by refusing to be cooperative, by refusing to abide by the instructions and demands of the teacher and the school administrator … it appears that this particular officer did not follow the procedures of the office and that's the reason why he was terminated."
"What I hope doesn't happen is that this student is held up as some kind of hero. Listen, the student acted totally improperly and as a parent I would discipline my child severely if my child acted in the same manner."
Ben Fields — the deputy seen in a cell phone video flipping a disruptive student out of her desk and tossing her across her math class floor at Spring Valley High School in Columbia this week — was axed Wednesday.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott called Fields' actions "unacceptable," and said videos recorded by the girl's classmates show that she posed no danger to anyone.
Gonzales, dean of Belmont University College of Law in Nashville, added: "There's enough blame to go around her, but again based upon the investigation by the sheriff, it appears that the deputy sheriff acted outside the procedures."
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