IRVING, Texas — Police in Irving are investigating officers' use of force during a fight at a high school on Wednesday, officials said.
Police said officers assigned to Nimitz High School responded to a fight that broke out between several students in a lunch line.
According to police, officers "used force" to separate the students and detain those involved.
Although police did not specify what kind of force was used, the department said it will be investigating to see if its policies and procedures were followed.
Mark Montes said he's watched video clips of the incident circulating online. In the video, an officer picks up Montes' son and slams him down on to a cart. A few seconds later, as Montes' son starts to stand up, the same officer pushes him back down to the ground.
"He didn’t just grab him. He choked him up in the air," Montes said. "This guy is a body builder muscle guy. My son is tall and scrawny. You lifted my son off the ground like it was nothing. You didn’t even have to do that.”
Montes said his son was starting to jump in the fight because his cousin was involved, but he said he expected officers to de-escalate the situation. Instead, he said it's a miracle his son is able to walk.
“You have no right to do what you did to my son and choke slam him and could've broken his back on that bar," Montes said. “He couldn’t sleep last night. He was having headaches all last night. We took him to the emergency room. They didn’t find anything besides all the cuts and bruises he already had.”
Montes said he went to the school Wednesday, after seeing the video, and demanded to speak with the officers' supervisors. He said he was able to speak with the officer who interacted with his son.
"He stood up and bulged up to me and said, ‘Yah, I did it and what’ with no remorse," Montes said.
Montes said he'd come to the school for an issue regarding the same officer for a previous incident involving his daughter.
Irving ISD did not respond to WFAA's request for comment on this situation, neither did the district's school board president.
In a news release, the police department mentioned seeing video clips of the incident on social media and will be conducting an internal investigation.
"We have communicated with Irving ISD and a family member of one of the involved students and will complete our investigation promptly," police said in the news release.
Police also said that one of the officers involved "will be reassigned" during the investigation.
Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to call police at 972-721-3510.