A police officer has resigned from the force after a video emerged of him tackling an 11-year-old girl with special needs to the ground after she allegedly took "too much milk" from the canteen.
New Mexico cop Zachary Christensen stepped down from his position with Farmington Police after an internal investigation into his use-of-force was launched.
Body camera footage of the incident at Mesa View Middle School shows the girl brushing past the principle after a verbal confrontation.
The officer, who had been with the department for over a decade, then follows her and is seen trying to pull her backpack off.
He then appears to shove her into a wall and wrestles her to the ground as he tries to pull her arms behind her back to handcuff her.
The girl, who has learning difficulties, can be heard crying and telling Christensen that he's hurting her.
And at one point, as the officer stands over the girl, a school staff member says: "Officer Christensen, she is not a threat to yourself or others."
Christensen replied: "No. She is."
Farmington Police Chief Steven Hebbe said the behaviour seen in the video did not comply with department standards and emphasised that "there's no excuse for the way this girl was treated".
Christensen alleged he had tried to arrest the girl because she had gone to the cafeteria and "she took more milks than she was supposed to. She threw milk on the ground. I mean, they try to say something she just walks off."
The unidentified student is reported to have suffered a concussion and had arm and shoulder pain as a result of the incident. The girl's family say they are now taking legal action.
In the video, Christensen can be heard saying, 'You can't push him out of the way. I've had enough of this. You're done. You're not going to assault the principal,' before he's seen pinning the girl against a wall and demanding she put her hands behind her back.
During the struggle, he yells: "Do not resist."
School employees express concern at the officer's actions and one says he is using "excessive force".
Police chief Hebbe said Christensen alleged the child assaulted school staff, but added: "This proved not to be true."
The child was not arrested and was picked up from school by her mother.
Hebbe also told reporters that his department referred the case to the New Mexico state police, but that the local district attorney declined to pursue charges. However, the attorney general of New Mexico may open an investigation, he claimed.
"There's no excuse for the way this girl was treated,' said Chief Hebbe. "As the chief of police, I am extremely disappointed that we failed to perform at our expected standards."
Mark Curnutt, attorney for the girl's family told KRQE News 13: "While it is appreciated that the principal and vice-principal asked the officer to stop, there is a question as to what the administrators could have done to prevent this from occurring at all."
