Prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into the beating of a University of Maryland student by three police officers last month after a video showed that the student was unarmed and was not menacing.

The video shows the student, John J. McKenna, celebrating a basketball ball game victory in the streets before being pushed by three police officers and beat repeatedly with a baton.  The 21-year-old had a concussion and needed eight staples to a wound on his head.

The officers now face both an internal affairs and a criminal investigation as does the county officer involved in filing the charging documents.

"The video shows the charging documents were nothing more than a cover, a fairy tale they made up to cover for the officers' misconduct," said the student’s lawyer, Christopher A. Griffiths. "The video shows gratuitous violence against a defenseless individual."

The charging documents said McKenna and co-defendant Benjamin C. Donat attacked the officers on horseback before being beaten.  The documents also stated that the two students were injured by the horses, with no mention of the officers’ participation.  The video shows no evidence of either charge.  The charges against Donat have also been dropped.

So far, one of the three officers has been suspended during the investigation and the two others will receive the same action once they are identified, said Prince George’s County Police Chief Roberto L. Hylton.  Because all of the officers are wearing riot gear, it is hard to identify them based on appearances.

"I'm outraged and disappointed after viewing the video," Hylton said. "That's not the type of professional conduct we promote. Any employee who uses excessive force will be held accountable."

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