OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — An internal investigation into an Osceola County Sheriff’s Office deputy has turned criminal after the school resource officer was seen in a video body-slamming a student at Liberty High School in Poinciana. 

What You Need To Know

  • Sheriff Marcos Lopez says the student is OK

  • In the video, it appears she was knocked out

  • Lopez says the deputy is on paid leave

Sheriff Marcos Lopez said he is turning this investigation over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Since the partial video surfaced online, Lopez said he would not take any stance on whether he justifies his deputy or not.

In the video, you can see the unnamed deputy taking the student down and you can hear when the minor’s face hit the concrete.

Lopez said that moments before the video was captured, there was a disruption of an event happening at Liberty High School and that the student was not complying with lawful demands.

Lopez says he has zero tolerance for use of force by his deputies but that he also would not allow them to be victimized.

“I will tell you, we have a very good intel unit, and if you’re going to start threatening my sheriffs ... Until we can do a thorough investigation, we’re going to come after you, too. (We have) zero tolerance of threatening any of our employees in Osceola County,” Lopez said. 

Lopez said the deputy is on paid leave.

As for the condition of the student, who appeared to have been knocked out after hitting the concrete floor, the Osceola County School District said paramedics were called to the school during the incident. The sheriff said she's now doing OK.

FDLE officials told Spectrum News 13 that they're investigating the use of force at Liberty High School. But because the case is active, they do not have any additional information at this time.