The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating one of its reserve deputies following the incident at St. Joe’s Picnic for the Kids where he was seen on video pulling a teenage girl by the hair and tackling her to the ground while attempting to take her into custody as he worked security at the event.
The video of the incident, which has been viewed more than 20,000 times on Facebook, shows the girl running away from the deputy as he grabs her hair. She falls to the ground, and the deputy climbs on top of her back and attempts to handcuff her.
JCSP spokesperson Lt. Col. Carl Yates said Jefferson County Sheriff John Aubrey has instructed Internal Affairs to open an investigation into the altercation, which is standard procedure in the agency.
“It’s automatic when we have an incident like this,” he said.
The department is currently gathering information, Yates said, but will not begin an official inquiry until after the teenager’s Aug. 28 juvenile court appearance.
Yates told The Courier Journal in a written statement Aug. 11 that the teenager was charged with criminal trespassing, disorderly conduct and disregarding the lawful order of a law enforcement officer.
He said the girl “charged at the deputy with clinched fist,” prompting him to take her down and attempt to handcuff her. The girl also refused to leave the picnic grounds, ignored the curfew policy for minors and was “verbally abusive” toward the deputy, Yates said.
People who witnessed part of the interaction between the deputy and the girl leading up to the use of force told The Courier Journal the girl did not appear to act aggressively toward the deputy.
More: ‘Completely unnecessary’: Forceful arrest of teen girl at St. Joe’s Picnic raises concerns
Organizations like the Louisville Urban League and Louisville Branch NAACP both called for an investigation into the incident.
In an Aug. 12 letter, Louisville Urban League also called for a “comprehensive review” of JCSO’s policies and training protocols, specifically as they relate to use of force against minors, de-escalation techniques, interactions with youth at public events and handling of alleged criminal trespassing.
Yates said the Sheriff’s Office trains “probably more than any agency in Jefferson County, maybe even in Kentucky.”
“We train constantly, and de-escalation is one of the biggest parts of our training. We get very few complaints on our deputies — very, very few — especially our reserve deputies,” Yates said.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: St. Joe’s Picnic arrest: Sheriff’s office to launch investigation