Watch: Police Repeatedly Punch Unarmed African-American Man, Investigation Underway

A man standing peacefully in an apartment complex in Mesa, Arizona, was seen brutality beaten up by police officers in a surveillance footage released Tuesday.

According to Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista, the African-American man seen in the video was Robert Johnson, 33, who was at the place with a friend. His unidentified friend was apparently trying to force himself into the apartment of his ex-girlfriend, who had alerted the police.

The audio-less footage showed the moment law enforcement agents arrived at the scene. Johnson was seen leaning forward against the railing, next to the elevator, talking to someone over the phone, when two of the officers patted him down to ensure he was not armed.

After making sure Johnson was not carrying any concealed weapons, one of the police officers ordered him to stand against the wall — an order he complied with after an exchange of words with the officer. However, when he was told to sit on the floor, he chose to ignore the order and squatted instead.

At that moment, three of the police officers walked up to him, and one of them started to punch him hard repeatedly, while the others restricted him.

“It is disappointing because this isn’t the way I see the people that I work with and the community that we serve,” Batista said, local newspaper AZ Family reported.

He added as an internal investigation was being conducted into the matter, three officers and one sergeant who were seen on the surveillance footage, were placed on administrative leave.

Batista’s decision to release the portion of the surveillance footage that demonstrated police violence was heavily criticized by the Mesa Police Association.

“The Mesa Police Association feels it is grossly inappropriate to release a portion of video with no audio that does not include the full context of the encounter. Furthermore, we don't understand why video is being released when an internal investigation has not been completed. It is important to understand that any use of force, when viewed, is difficult to watch and never looks ‘good,’” the association said in a statement Tuesday, adding they planned to release the remainder of the footage later this week.

Johnson was cited for disorderly conduct and hindering a police investigation. Benjamin Taylor, Johnson’s attorney released the following statement Tuesday:

“On May 23rd, 2018, Robert Johnson was beaten by multiple Mesa Police officers while others looked on. Mr. Johnson was cooperative and following police instructions. Mr. Johnson was sitting peacefully against a wall when the assault began. He did not resist. The misconduct of these officers would have gone unnoticed if it had not been captured by surveillance videos at the apartment complex where the assault occurred.

We hope and pray that the Mesa Police Department will accept responsibility for the misconduct of these officers. Mesa must take concrete steps to ensure that culpable officers are disciplined, retrained, or dismissed. The Mesa Police Department must develop a law enforcement culture that meets community and constitutional norms and ensures that police and citizens go home safely after police interactions.

We plan on holding a press conference Thursday, June 7, 2018 to discuss this incident and the culture of violence at the Mesa Police Department.”

Johnson's pastor, Andre Miller, with New Beginnings Church, has also teamed up with the former's attorneys to try and bring an end to senseless police brutality.

"There is no explanation that you can justify that level of force," Miller said, ABC15 reported. "I understand that police have to use force in certain situations. … At the end of the day, when do you not use force?"