VIDEO: Virginia Student's Arrest Injuries Spark Protests, Investigation
The Virginia State Police have been asked to conduct an independent investigation after a University of Virginia student was injured during an arrest near campus Wednesday.
In a statement, University President Teresa Sullivan said the student was injured at around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday while being taken into custody by Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) agents outside the Trinity Irish Pub in Charlottesville, CBS News reports.
The Cavalier Daily, a student-run newspaper, identifies the person injured in the arrest as Martese Johnson, a third-year, African American student. A photo accompanying the article shows a black male with a bloody face being restrained on the ground by authorities.
Johnson was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing justice without threats of force, and profane swearing or intoxication in public.
According to the paper, the arresting ABC agent wrote on an arrest report that Johnson "was very agitated and belligerent but has no previous criminal history."
Furthermore, the paper alleges that during the course of the arrest, Johnson sustained a head injury requiring 10 stitches.
Hundreds of students gathered on campus Wednesday night for a rally and a march to protest the police treatment of Johnson, and many stayed until about 11 p.m., the Washington Post reports.