Watch: Atlanta Police Officer Punches Man, Is Put On Leave

ATLANTA, GA -- An Atlanta police officer seen on video punching a man in the head has been put on administrative leave, Patch has learned. The footage, posted on the Facebook page of Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta, has gone viral.

The incident purportedly happened last week in downtown Atlanta near the 5 Points MARTA Station. The name of the officer in the video has not been released, nor has the person being struck. (To get notified of more local news like this, click here to sign up for the Atlanta Patch. Or find your Atlanta-area town here. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

The clip has caused quite a bit of commotion among activists in the city, especially at a time when local police departments are in the midst of unprecedented community relations efforts. But many people see the incident as a continued pattern of disrespect toward the community.

Sir Maejor, the president of Black Lives Matter Greater Atlanta, said in a statement to Patch, "This is what I call a #BlueOnBlackCrime, as an organization, we stand against police brutality regardless the color of the officer. We now hereby demand an internal investigation and will aggressively seek the immediate termination and expect criminal charges to be filed against the officer in question."

“The officer involved in the use of force depicted in the video has been relieved of duty and is currently on administrative leave,” Atlanta police said in a statement, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Following the conclusion of the internal investigation, Chief Erika Shields will review the evidence therein to determine the appropriate disciplinary action, if any.”

The incident is similar to one caught on video in Gwinnett County earlier this year when two officers were seen kicking a handcuffed man after pulling him over.

Patch has reached out to the APD for comment but they did not respond immediately. We will update this story with the latest information.

Read more: Gwinnett cop fired after kicking man in head

Image via Facebook / BLMGA