Cheerleader forced into painful split by coach caught on camera

(INSIDE EDITION) - Disturbing video of a high school cheerleader being forced into a painful split is causing uproar.

Ally Wakefield, 13, screamed "please stop" nine times in the 24-second video. In it, her arms and legs are held down by teammates and the coach.

It happened during cheer camp at East High School in Denver where Wakefield is an incoming freshman.

Now the coach, his assistant and the school principal have been placed on leave while school officials and Denver Police investigate.

Coach Ozelle Williams is known for his tumbling skills at local sporting events.

In another video, teens at the cheer camp are also seen crying out as they're forced into painful positions.

"Around the hip joint there are muscles, tendons and ligaments that hold that ball and socket into place," Dr. Mark Klion of Manhattan Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Group told Inside Edition after watching the video. "Overstretching that area can cause those tissues to tear.

Splits are a key skill in the world of gymnastics.

The reigning Miss America, Savvy Shields, took home the crown with a jazz routine that included a split.

"We would only stretch to where we could and then we stopped," she told Inside Edition. "If you went any further it is damage to your body.

"We do not and will not allow any situation in which a student is forced to perform an activity or exercise beyond the point at which they express their desire to stop," Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg said.