A black University of Virginia student who became injured and bloodied during an arrest caught on video filed a $3 million civil lawsuit on Tuesday against the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Department and the three officers who arrested him.
The student, Martese Johnson, 21, in the lawsuit filed in Charlottesville, Va., alleges civil rights violations, a failure to train or supervise the officers properly, false arrest and excessive use of force, reported The Washington Post. It also seeks a jury trial.
"Agents of ABC have a history of aggressive, excessive and unjustified behavior in effectuating their duties," the suit said.
The lawsuit stems from a March incident, when the honor student was turned away from St. Patrick's Day festivities at the Trinity Irish Pub in Charlottesville for being underage. Moments later while outside the bar, he was confronted by three ABC agents.
Video of the incident shows Johnson pinned to the sidewalk with his face bloodied. He can be heard yelling that he's a U.Va student.
"How did this happen, you f--king racists!" he shouted. The video was posted online and soon went viral, while in the meantime, Johnson was arrested and spent several hours in jail, according to USA Today.
The officers cited false ID and intoxication as the reasons for his arrest, which the suit said was incorrect. Furthermore, testimony from the Trinity Irish Pub and the results from a breathalyzer test also showed Johnson wasn't intoxicated at the time of his arrest. Instead, Johnson said race was a factor in the incident.
Johnson was initially charged with obstruction of justice and public intoxication, reported Reuters. But those charges, along with potential charges against the agents, were later dropped in June by a prosecutor.
The agents returned to duty in August after a review showed they did not breach policy during the arrest.
The Virginia Attorney General's Office had no immediate comment on the suit.
