Bloody arrest of black student leads to investigation

The governor of Virginia has ordered the Virginia State Police to investigate the bloody arrest of a black third-year student at the University of Virginia by Alcoholic Beverage Control agents outside a Charlottesville bar.

Martese Johnson, 20, a member of the Honor Committee at the Charlottesville school, was arrested around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday and charged with public intoxication and obstruction of justice, according to student newspaper The Cavalier Daily and the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Video and photos from the arrest show Johnson on the ground with his face and shirt covered in blood as agents hold him down. The incident went viral Wednesday afternoon with dozens of people writing #MarteseJohnson and #BlackLivesMatter on social media.

Johnson can be heard on video yelling that he was a UVA student. "How did this happen, you (bleeping) racists!" Johnson screams.

Johnson received 10 stitches to close a gash on his head.

On Wednesday night, a rally in support of Johnson drew about 1,000 students -- including Johnson.

"We are one community," Johnson told the crowd. "We deserve to respect each other, especially in times like this."

In a statement Thursday read to reporters by his attorney, Johnson denied ABC agents' claim that he presented a fake ID to try to get into the Trinity Irish Pub, where ABC agents were monitoring the St. Patrick's Day crowd for under-age drinkers. He said he showed ABC agents an Illinois identification.

Johnson's statement said he was "shocked that my face was slammed into the brick pavement three blocks from where I attend school."

"I trust that the scars on my face and head will heal but the trauma from what the ABC officers did will stay with me forever," said Johnson, who did not speak or take questions at the brief appearance at the city's downtown mall. "I still believe in our community. I know this community will support me during this time."

His attorney, Daniel Watkins, said they would fight the charges "with utmost vigor."

The special agents involved in Johnson's arrest have been assigned to administrative duties while the investigation is underway, the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control said in a statement.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe's office announced it is monitoring the case.

"Governor McAuliffe is concerned by the reports of this incident and has asked the Secretary of Public Safety to initiate an independent Virginia State Police investigation into the use of force in this matter," a statement said. "The governor's office has been in contact with University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan and local law enforcement and will continue to monitor this situation closely as the investigation proceeds."

Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty said a thorough investigation "will take time."

"We owe it to both Mr. Johnson and the Virginia ABC to be painstakingly thorough in determining the facts of the situation through interviews, evidence collection and analysis, and investigative procedure," he said Thursday. "We appreciate the public's patience as we move through the investigative process in the coming weeks."

In a letter to students and staff, Sullivan said she asked McAuliffe to launch the independent investigation and is deeply concerned about what happened. She said university officials are trying to clarify the details of the incident quickly and asked anyone who may have witnessed the incident to contact the Virginia State Police.

"The safety and security of our students will always be my primary concern, and every member of our community should feel safe from the threat of bodily harm and other forms of violence," Sullivan said in the letter. "Today, as U.Va. students, faculty, and staff who share a set of deeply held values, we stand unified in our commitment to seeking the truth about this incident. And we stand united in our belief that equal treatment and equal justice are among our fundamental rights under the law."

A group of "concerned black students" issued their own statement saying the agents "brutalized" Johnson outside Trinity Irish Pub. Johnson needed 10 stitches from an injury the group said he sustained when officers "flung (him) to the ground" shortly after Johnson was denied entry into a bar.

The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control said agents saw Johnson get denied entry and "a determination was made by the agents to further detain" Johnson based on "their observations and further questioning." Johnson sustained injuries as agents arrested him and he was treated at a local hospital and released. The agency added that it would "provide whatever information or assistance is requested by Virginia State Police."

Fourth-year student Bryan Beaubrun, told The Cavalier Daily that he witnessed the incident and said an agent approached Johnson shortly after a bouncer at the bar asked him to step aside after refusing to accept his ID.

"It happened so quickly," Beaubrun told the paper. "Out of nowhere I saw the two officers wrestling Martese to the ground. I was shocked that it escalated that quickly. Eventually [he was] on the ground, they're trying to put handcuffs on him and their knees were on his back."

Johnson serves as leadership development chair for the university's Black Student Alliance.

"Today, we are reminded of the gruesome reality that we are not immune to injustice; as University students, we are not impervious to the brutality that has reeled on news cycles around the country," said the statement by the group of "concerned black students."

The group added that several students pleaded with officers to lift Johnson off the ground but that agents pushed the students away and even handcuffed and threatened some students with arrest if they did not leave the scene.

"We demand there be a swift and thorough investigation on the state, local, and University levels," the statement said.