Spring Valley High assault: Sheriff claims video shows student 'punched' officer

"When the officer puts his hands on her initially, she reaches up and she pops the officer with her fist," Sheriff Leon Lott told CNN

Sheriff Leon Lott, whose deputy Ben Fields is currently being investigated for his actions in the Spring Valley High School assault, has claimed that the student 'punched' his officer.

Speaking to CNN, Sheriff Lott said a video shows that "When the officer puts his hands on her initially, she reaches up and she pops the officer with her fist."

He also stressed however that the focus of the investigation remained on the actions of Deputy Ben Fields, who is still suspended without pay.

"There's no justification for some of his actions," the sheriff told the American broadcaster.

"We want to de-escalate situations instead of escalate them. When you have somebody on fire you don't want to throw gasoline on them. You want to put the fire out," he said.

The assault has gained international attention after videos posted online of the incident reached millions.

The footage, from several different angles, shows Deputy Ben Fields forcibly wrestling a student from her desk before dragging her across the floor.

As the physical altercation begins, the student can be seen flailing her arms against the school resource officer.

When you have somebody on fire you don't want to throw gasoline on them. You want to put the fire out

&#13; <p>Sheriff Leon Lott</p>&#13;

When asked if the student hit the officer, NBC report that Sheriff Lott said "There's no question about that."

The sheriff also stated that the student involved "bears some responsibility."

"If she had not disrupted the school and disrupted that class, we would not be standing here today," Lott said.

"So it started with her and it ended with my officer. What I'm going to deal with is what my deputy did."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Justice Department have launched an investigation into the incident, while Sheriff Lott says a decision will be made on Fields' employment within the next 24 hours.