WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The trauma from a bloody encounter with state police will remain with him long after the physical wounds have healed, University of Virginia (UVA) honors student Martese Johnson said in a statement read by his attorney Daniel Watkins at a press conference.
“I trust that the scars on my face and head will one day heal, but the trauma from what the ABC [Alcoholic Beverage Control] officers did yesterday will stay with me forever,” the statement, issued on Thursday, said.
Johnson suffered gashes to the face and skull, according to Watkins, after three ABC officers threw him to the ground for allegedly carrying a false identification card in Charlottesville, Virginia on Wednesday.
“As the officers held me down, one thought raced through my mind: How could this happen?” Johnson asked. “My head lay bloody, but unbowed. I still believe in our community, I know this community will support me during this time.”
The 20-year-old Johnson received ten stiches at UVA Medical Center after being arrested on charges of public intoxication and obstruction of justice, Watkins said.
A UVA administrative review and criminal investigation are underway to determine whether the officers who arrested Johnson complied with law enforcement guidelines, according to Virginia State Police.
On Thursday, students gathered on the UVA campus to protest Johnson’s arrest, local journalists reported via Twitter on Thursday.
Wednesday’s arrest follows several similar incidents over the past year that have taken center stage in the United States of seemingly race-related police brutality, causing widespread protests and debate on US police practices.
