Raleigh police investigating cell phone video showing officers striking man with baton

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- An investigation is underway after a video surfaced on social media Friday, showing Raleigh officers striking a man with a baton.

In the video, you can see several Raleigh police officers trying to corral a man at the intersection of Garner Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Raleigh police officials are reviewing the matter but in it, officers appear to strike a man who is already on the ground, as well as stomp on the man's foot.

Another video from a slightly different angle shows the man grabbing a female police officer's leg and biting her near the ankle area. She then kicks him in the face with her free leg to stop him.

Activists from the Carolina Justice Policy Center spoke out about the incident Friday but said they hadn't spoken to the man in the video.

"It really doesn't matter what happened leading up to it because the standards of care being deployed by our law enforcement shouldn't matter," said activist Dawn Blagrove. "Those standards should stay in place regardless of the situation.

"They are trained law enforcement officers -- we are not talking about a group of vigilante citizens with no training who are trying to subdue a situation," Blagrove added. "What could we know that would justify what we saw? What facts could change what we saw?"

The man who shot the video told activists he was appalled at what he saw.

The Wake County District Attorney's Office said it is reviewing the video.

The Raleigh Police Department issued the following statement:

The Raleigh Police Department is aware of the incident that occurred earlier today at Garner Road and Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard; we are reviewing the matter in accordance with our departmental policies. In the spirit of transparency, we have proactively made the District Attorney's office aware of this situation. The Raleigh Police Department offers no further comment on this ongoing investigation.

Full statement from Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman:

Late this afternoon I was made aware of a use of force incident regarding Raleigh Police Department by the Raleigh Police Chief Deck Brown. I have requested that all available video, including body cameras and dash cam video be provided to my office for review. I am in consultation with the State Bureau of Investigation and once we have completed a review, will be making a determination as to what the appropriate next steps are. We are requesting the community's patience as we go through this process.