DC Police Are Under Fire For Video Of Them Beating A Man

Josh Fatzick

Police in Washington, D.C., are under investigation for use of force against a man Monday after a video surfaced apparently showing them beating him on the ground.

Police believed the man to be on PCP as he fought with and tried to bite the officers.

When police officers arrived on scene, they found the man talking to himself and doing push ups in the street. They approached the man, later identified as Eric Jones, 34, and instructed him to get on the ground, CBS DC reports.

Instead, Jones punched a car, ripped an antenna off, and tried to attack the officers with it. The officers then start hitting Jones with their nightsticks in the legs and arms.

WATCH:

Eventually the officers tackle Jones to the ground. They punch and elbow him several times before getting him in handcuffs as more officers arrive.

A bystander can be heard in the background of the video asking officers “why are you beating that man like that?” The same man then calls the officers “weak as shit” several times while they try to restrain the man.

Once Jones is in handcuffs, another officer appears to knee him in the head several times. Three of the involved officers were taken to a hospital after the incident where they received treatment for minor injuries.

An onlooker recorded the video on his phone and posted it to the Internet where it was spotted by the Metropolitan Police Department, according to The Washington Post.

D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier released the video in order to show that police acted in the correct fashion.

Lanier said it’s troubling to see any officer have to use force, but when a person is on PCP, they can be a danger to themselves and others.

“Being high on PCP can be an extreme danger and make one very, very strong,” she said in a statement. “From the looks of the damage to the car, it appears he was very, very strong.”

According to Lanier, no complaint was filed against the officers, but the department is launching an investigation anyway.

Follow Josh on Twitter