A Marine was caught on camera this week blindside tackling two California high school students who were fighting.
The video shows two students at Edison High School in Stockton throwing punches on Wednesday before the Marine, identified as 18-year-old Pfc. Josue Valdez Sarmiento, sprints in and abruptly knocks the grappling duo to the ground.
The video was first posted by 209 Times and has more than 1.2 million views on Facebook.
The Marine then held the students briefly down on the ground before getting up. One of the students is picked up by an adult and the other is seen lying on the ground after being tackled.
In a statement to KCRA-TV, the school district said it was aware of the incident and is investigating the situation.
“Stockton Unified is aware of the student matter that took place on 9/11/19 [Wednesday] at Edison High School and the recording circulating on social media. We are actively investigating the situation,” the district said.
Valdez Sarmiento is a recent graduate of the school and was there to help with recruiting but is not a recruiter, the U.S. Marine Corps said.
“He saw a dangerous fight break out. Upon observing that situation, he moved over and broke up the fight,” Maj. Thomas Driscoll told KCRA. “Although, the manner in which he did [could] have been improved, we are proud of Pfc. Valdez Sarmiento for his decision to intervene.”