The internet lit up Wednesday after the University of Virginia Black Student Alliance posted a photo of a a third-year honor student, 20-year-old Martese Johnson, who had been allegedly beaten by agents of the Virginia Alcoholic Beveral Control (ABC) outside a bar. (Source: DailyProgress.com)
"At the request of University President Teresa Sullivan, a state investigation into the use of force in Johnson's arrest is now underway," according to The Cavalier Daily.
"Johnson was arrested on charges of resisting arrest, obstructing justice without threats of force, and profane swearing or intoxication in public," according to the report.
The photo shows Martese Johnson on the ground, his face bloodied, being restrained by one of the agents.
Johnson was approached by the ABC agents after he was refused entry to a bar, according to a news release by the agency.
"A determination was made by the agents to further detain the individual based on their observations and further questioning," according to the ABC news release.
The Black Student Alliance posted the photo of Johnson on the ground, along with a description of the incident they say is based on accounts by witnesses, on a Facebook page. Johnson required 10 stitches in the head after the incident, according to reports.
Within hours, the story was trending in various social media with the hashtag #JusticeForMartese.
Students protested Wednesday night on campus at the University of Virginia and also at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
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