Police in Maryland say they're investigating an arrest during which an officer punched a 19-year-old man outside a bar.
Bystander video posted on YouTube shows three officers struggling with Zachary Blumenstein of Chevy Chase early Saturday; the video shows one of them punching him.
Police say an officer first encountered Blumenstein about 1:20 a.m. Saturday, when they saw him involved in a "verbal disturbance" in front of the Greene Turtle in Towson. Five other men were trying to restrain Blumenstein, and the officer ordered him to leave. Police say Blumenstein remained argumentative, and the five others took him away.
However, about 40 minutes later, Baltimore County police say an officer saw Blumenstein push a man into the street. Police say the officer told Blumenstein he was under arrest, but he resisted even after an officer used pepper spray.
Police said the cellphone video taken by a witness shows an officer hitting Blumenstein several times.
Baltimore County police Chief Jim Johnson said in a release that the department takes the use of force seriously and that Johnson will review the incident "for compliance with use of force training."
According to that training, officers should "use the least amount of force needed to bring a situation under control and to escalate the use of force based on circumstances," the release said.
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Johnson said it appears that the officer escalated the use of force "as required by BCoPD policy," but he's concerned that the officer used a closed fist in the incident.
Johnson also said that his initial reaction was that other techniques for restraint and compliance could have been more effective.
Blumenstein was charged with resisting arrest, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, trespass and failure to obey a police officer. He has been released on his own recognizance.
A message left at a number listed for Blumenstein's address wasn't immediately returned.
The name of the officer who punched Blumenstein hasn't been released.
