Chicago police have opened an internal investigation after video of a man being repeatedly punched by an officer was posted to Facebook on Sunday, WGN-TV reports.
The video was posted by Maurice Fulson, who said he saw the officer tackle 22-year-old Robert Foreman just before the cop started throwing punches.
“He was down, you can see it on the film. He was not fighting back, he wasn’t trying to flip,” said Fulson, who recorded the incident, which took place in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood.
According to the news station, police were going to write Foreman a ticket for public drinking before he started running. Foreman was released from custody Monday after being charged with public drinking and resisting arrest.
Foreman told the news station that he ran because he had just been robbed before the arrest took place, but stopped when he realized it was the police chasing him.
“When I turned around and I seen him I’m like, ‘All right, I give up,’ and he just grabbed me and threw me down to the ground; I didn’t resist or nothing,” Foreman said.
The video begins with Foreman on the ground and an officer on top of him, punching him about four times.
"Put your hands behind your back," the officer can be heard saying.
"I'm not fighting," Foreman responds. "I'm not fighting … I was just getting robbed."
More officers soon enter into the shot, and Foreman is handcuffed and led away.
Chicago police issued a statement Monday night saying, "Based on this video, CPD has opened an internal-affairs investigation into this incident and will be forwarding the video and all relevant reports to the Independent Review Board for investigation. We are committed to the highest levels of integrity and professional standards and look forward to IPRA's review of this incident."
Foreman and his family are seeking legal representation, the station notes.
Read more at WGN-TV.