Albemarle police investigating ‘physical altercation’ involving high school resource officer, student

STANLY COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) - A school resource officer in Albemarle was moved to administrative duty while a “physical altercation” with a student was under investigation.

The Albemarle Police Department on Wednesday, Nov. 11 reported that it was investigating a “physical altercation involving a student” and a school resource officer at Albemarle High School.

A video of the Nov. 9 altercation has been circulating on social media, and appears to show adults trying to break up a fight between two students. The school resource officer was among those adults.

In the video, the officer can be seen separating one student from another by grabbing the student in a headlock. The student appears to break free and quickly walk away, while the other student is being held back by the remaining adults.

The first student can be seen walking back toward the group in the video. The camera moves away for a moment, but comes back to show the school resource officer apparently lift the first student up and drop to the ground on top of them.

The student’s head can be seen hitting the ground, and heard making a loud “clap” sound. The video ends with the student on the ground, being restrained by the officer.

The student’s condition was not immediately known. WBTV reached out to Stanly County Schools for comment.

Albemarle police said the officer was “placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation.” Investigators were working to collect evidence, witness statements, and video footage for a “thorough” investigation, police said.

“We understand community members may have questions. We ask for patience as investigators complete their work,” the police department said in a statement on Wednesday. “APD is committed to ensuring a complete and objective examination of the facts.”

Anyone who witnessed the situation was encouraged to call Albemarle police at 704-984-9500.

A similar situation happened about one year ago in Charlotte, when a school resource officer body slammed a high school student while trying to break up a fight.

That student reportedly went unconscious and had a seizure after the body slam. That school resource officer was removed from his role, as of April this year.

---> More on that: Officer seen body slamming Charlotte student amid fight removed from resource officer role