Frustrated protesters clash with deputies in Victorville, some arrested

In the aftermath of a 16-year-old girl being body-slammed by a San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department deputy, the community is demanding answers from law enforcement.

The deputy, as seen in video and based on witness statements, was trying to break up a fight Friday night when the girl lunged for the deputy's Pepper Ball gun. He grabbed her, lifted her, and threw her down. The deputy was punched by a boy arrested at the game.

On Sunday, roughly 40 protesters marched near the Victorville sheriff's substation. A protester using a megaphone asked for the name of the deputy who took down the girl. Others yelled "coward" at a deputy parked in a patrol vehicle near McArt Road.

Priscilla Jeffers reported that her daughter, Faith, suffered traumatic injuries to her head and spine and was hospitalized after encountering a deputy. Faith, a Victor Valley High School sophomore, was released from a Fontana hospital Sunday morning.

The incident that sparked the protest happened Friday night just before the end of Victor Valley's 22-14 victory over Big Bear at Ray Moore Stadium.

More details about what led to the fight have come to light.

Jeffers said another girl from a different school was bullying Faith. She knew the girl had shown up to the football game to confront her daughter.

During the game, Jeffers said she heard over the loudspeaker that a fight had broken out.

"I saw a body on the floor… Right away, I knew it was my daughter," Jeffers said. "I thought that she was dead. Thank God she wasn't."

Faith has been put in a full-body brace. It could take up to six months to a year for Faith to make a full recovery, her mother said.

"She is emotionally scarred more than anything," Priscilla said during Sunday's protest. "She has a lot of physical healing she needs to deal with."

Faith and the boy who punched the deputy could be charged with battery of a police officer if prosecutors find enough evidence. The boy was booked into juvenile hall Friday night after the fight.

More: Victor Valley High School brawl sends girl to hospital, boy arrested

Victorville police respond to protest

As the protesters grew more frustrated Sunday afternoon, Victorville officers arrived and surrounded the growing crowd.

At some point, two officers detained a woman carrying a megaphone, pushing her onto the ground. Responding deputies had to push back the angry crowd while other deputies walked the handcuffed woman into a patrol car.

Officers also deployed pepper spray.

At least two more people were detained shortly after the woman was placed in the patrol car.

Officers were armed with Pepper Ball launchers and Tasers as the crowd yelled obscenities and asked officers for their badge numbers.

As of Sunday night, no arrests have been made related to the protest, according to sheriff's department spokeswoman Mara Rodriguez.

"While the sheriff’s department supports the public’s right to peaceful protests, violating California penal codes and vehicle codes are not protected by the First Amendment," stated Rodriguez in an email to the Daily Press. "Our deputies will enforce the law, and arrests will be made if applicable."

But according to Edin Alex Enamorado, a Los Angeles-based activist who helped lead Sunday's protest, four people, including his girlfriend, were arrested.

At 2:45 p.m., Enamorado had no idea where authorities were holding his girlfriend.

Enamorado has a large social media following for his style of advocacy, which he describes as being on the front lines helping out “Raza,” which translates to the people. He is primarily known for his support of street vendors across California.

“Lately, I have been focusing on street vendor victims, but we started our activism, in general, to help out our Raza that is under attack,” Enamorado said as he stood near the sheriff’s station’s back gate. “Our Raza that is being told to ‘Go back to Mexico’ called ‘illegals.’ We help out our people under scrutiny. My heart is in activism. So that’s why I’ve gone back to my roots and helping our people on the front lines.”

Regarding the incident in front of the car wash on Palmdale Road, Enamorado said that the group planned to march back to the front of the station on Amargosa Road.

On his YouTube livestream, a Hyundai sedan can be seen attempting to exit the Mister Car Wash on Palmdale Road. At one point, the driver of the Hyundai is honking at protestors, and then a man is seen exiting the passenger's side of the car, confronting the protesters.

After the man is knocked to the ground twice, a deputy arrives shortly after the stream ends.

“There was a vehicle that was coming out of the car wash, and they tried to run over protestors,” Enamorado said. “A man opened the door, hit a woman, and then put his hands on my girlfriend. She defended herself, and they arrested her. They also arrested three other people unlawfully.”

Enamorado discovered the video late Saturday night and knew he had to make the trip up the Cajon Pass to Victorville.

He describes what transpired in the video between the deputy and Faith as a “death sentence.”

"What they did to that 16-year-old girl was a death sentence. She could have easily died. We still don’t know the long-term effects,” Enamorado said. “Last year around this time, we also protested where a school cop murdered an 18-year-old woman. We are here to hold these officers accountable.”

Enamorado plans on returning to Victorville to attend the next Victor Valley Union High School District board meeting and the city council meeting.

“We are also going to help out her family. They will be filing a public records request to reveal the officer’s name,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Frustrated protesters clash with deputies in Victorville, some arrested