Fairfield police officer faces scrutiny over use-of-force incidents against teens

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]Begin with the new scrutiny on a violent police confrontation at Fairfield High School. So, it happened during a campus fight last week, and now new video has emerged of an arrest involving the same officer. Drew Andre spoke with community members who gathered this afternoon calling for accountability.

[00:00:19]People in the community showed up outside City Hall ahead of the council meeting tonight to make their voices heard and call for the firing of that officer in the video. Fairfield Police Department says that there is an outside organization that will independently investigate this incident.

[00:00:40]Video shows an officer on top of a student repeatedly throwing punches while holding down his head with her other hand. Students shared videos from multiple angles. And it was the worst feeling a mother could have seeing her son done like that.

[00:00:57]>> It all happened at Fairfield High School last Wednesday. Officers responded to a fight on campus. It escalated when police said a student continued to resist arrest. Police called this a quote distraction strike to the student's hands.

[00:01:11]The student's stunned mom says it was unnecessary and excessive force. She needs to get off the force. She has a pattern. It's not It's not okay. If they don't see it, they will.

[00:01:24]The video shared by thousands online prompted Maya Hamilton to come forward to show her own experience with the same officer. She's pulling my hair! This happened July 14th, 2025. This happened just last year.

[00:01:38]So, she does do this. This is what she does. And what was layered was her inability to de-escalate situations.

[00:01:47]Hamilton, just 18 at the time, was pulled over when all of this unfolded.

[00:01:52]She loves to grab some hair.

[00:01:54]Court documents from the 2025 incident showed the teen driver's attorney has filed a motion calling the officer's actions unlawful and excessive use of force.

[00:02:05]They're asking a judge to include a record of complaints against the officer in the case.

[00:02:10]Fairfield police said they are aware of additional videos circulating online involving their officers but wouldn't comment. If you're that bold to do this with as many cameras that was there at a school campus to do that, someone someone in your department is okaying your behavior. Last week's incident on campus is under investigation. Police Chief Dan Marshall told us in a statement, "We will carefully evaluate the totality of the investigation's findings for discipline, additional training, opportunities for improvements, or policy changes within the department."

[00:02:47]Rally organizers say this is bigger than one incident. This is about how black youth are treated in schools across the country.

[00:02:55]The officer has been reassigned within the department during this investigation.