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VIDEO: Mom accuses deputy of excessive force after Taser used to end fight

CHERAW, S.C. — A Cheraw mother is accusing a deputy of excessive force after he deployed his Taser to break up a fight between two girls in a high school hallway.

It all started when the teens began throwing punches at each other at Cheraw High School, officials said. The fight was caught on video.

Authorities said a deputy deployed his Taser, ending the fight.

The mother of one of those girls said she is accusing the deputy of excessive force. Corrine Smith said her daughter has a heart murmur and the shock could have killed her.

Her daughter is currently suspended from school.

Smith said the deputy should have used other means to defuse the situation.

“I’m not mad with the punishment, my question is in all capital letters, why was that force taken?” said Smith. “If they’re hostile, if they’re a threat to them, if they’re fighting them then OK. I would have nothing to argue with.”

The school district said this was one of two fights that broke out that day during an extended lunch period. After those incidents, the school said they will operate on a more traditional 35-minute lunch.

The Chesterfield County sheriff told Channel 9 the deputy who deployed the Taser has been with the department for more than a decade.

In a statement, the sheriff explained the deputy was trying to break up a fight alone when he used the Taser on the two students to bring the situation under control.