Gov. Orders Investigation Into Arrest of UVA Student

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has ordered an investigation into the arrest of third-year University of Virginia student Martese Johnson after videos and images of the student's bloody face went viral.

Johnson was arrested by state Alcohol and Beverage Control (ABC) officers around 1 a.m. Tuesday night outside a popular bar called Trinity Irish Pub.

CBN News spoke to a bystander who said Johnson gave his ID to the bouncer, who then asked for his zip code.

When Johnson answered the question incorrectly, the bouncer handed the ID to an ABC agent standing nearby, which angered Johnson.

The witness said Johnson appeared intoxicated. The situation escalated after he accidentally brushed one of the ABC agents arms, leading the officer to tackle him to the ground and slam his head against the pavement in the process.

The source did not know if the student was using false identification or had just hoped he would be let in with his real ID.

Racially Motivated?

A former Trinity Irish Pub employee told CBN News that he has seen ABC agents arrest several people in that exact spot, adding that he does not think the incident was racially motivated.

The excessive force used by the offciers injured Johnson. After the arrest, he was sent to the UVA Medical Center.

"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," Johnson's lawyer, Daniel P. Watkins, said.

"This morning he received 10 stitches at the University of Virginia Medical Center," Watkins said Wednesday. "Fortunately, Martese's physical wounds are beginning to heal."

In a video taken by fellow students outside the bar, Johnson can be heard calling the ABC officers "racists" and asking "how did this happen?"

The 20-year-old African American student is a member of the historically all black Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He serves as a member on the student-elected Honor Committee and has no previous criminal history

The officers charged Johnson with resisting arrest, obstructing justice with threats of force, and profane swearing or intoxication in public. He was held at $1,500 bail and released early Wednesday morning.

Excessive Force?

After the video went viral, University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan contacted the governor's office to request an independent Virginia State Police investigation into the incident.

"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 her request.

"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," she continued. "And we stand united in our belief that equal treatment and equal justice are among our fundamental rights under the law."

In response, Virginia ABC defended the actions the officers took to subdue Johson.

"The uniformed ABC Agents observed and approached the individual after he was refused entry to a licensed establishment," ABC officials said in a statement. "A determination was made by the agents to further detain the individual based on their observations and further questioning."

"Virginia ABC will provide whatever information or assistance is requested by Virginia State Police," the statement read.

Last year, Charlottesville ABC Officers made headlines for mistaking a case of sparkling water a 20-year-old girl was carrying as a case of beer.

Seven ununiformed officers jumped the young girl's car, flashed a gun at her, and almost broke her car window before arresting her and leaving her in jail over night for their mistake.