(WARNING: This article includes a graphic image of the bloodied student.)
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe late Wednesday called for an investigation into the arrest of a college student with Chicago ties who was shown in a photo with a bloody face as he was held down by an officer.
Martese Johnson, a third-year student at the University of Virginia, was arrested early Wednesday following a brief discussion with Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control agents after Johnson was refused entry to the Trinity Irish Pub, the Associated Press reported.
U.Va student Bryan Beaubrun, who said he is friends with Johnson and witnessed the arrest, said Johnson asked the ABC agent to let go of his arm and tried pulling away.
At that point, another ABC agent grabbed Johnson from behind and the two ABC agents wrestled him to the ground, Beaubrun said.
"Just before handcuffing him, police took Martese to the ground, striking his head on the pavement and causing him to bleed profusely from the gash on his head," said Johnson's attorney, Daniel P. Watkins. "This morning he received ten stitches at the University of Virginia Medical Center. Fortunately, Martese's physical wounds are beginning to heal."
The agent who made the arrest, listed in court records as J. Miller, said in the arrest report that Johnson "was very agitated and belligerent." Charlottesville General District Court records showed that Johnson was charged on two counts: obstruction of justice without force, and public swearing or intoxication.
But friends of Johnson said that doesn't sound like him.
Johnson, whose Twitter page identifies himself as a Kenwood Academy High School graduate from Chicago, did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
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"Martese is exactly who you would like your sons or brother or boyfriend to be like," Johnson's Kenwood Academy classmate Ahkibah Lott told NBC Chicago. "He's intelligent, socially aware, politically aware and so driven and passionate."
A statement from a group calling itself "Concerned Black Students" claims the arrest of Johnson was unprovoked and extreme.
"The brutish force used resulted in his head and bodily injuries," the group said in a statement. "His treatment was unprovoked as he did not resist questioning or arrest."
McAuliffe's office issued a statement asking state police to investigate "the use of force in this matter."
The ABC said the agents involved with the arrest were restricted to administrative duties while a state police investigation is conducted.
ABC agents in Charlottesville have been accused of heavy-handed actions in the past.
The state of Virginia reached a $212,500 settlement last year with a UVA student who was arrested after her purchase of water was mistaken for beer.
Elizabeth Daly fled in terror outside a Charlottesville supermarket in April 2013 when her vehicle was swarmed by state ABC agents who mistook her just-purchased carton of sparkling water for beer.
Daly was charged with eluding police and assaulting a police officer after her SUV grazed two of the agents. The arrest provoked a public outcry, and the charges were dropped.
