Protests in the US after the release of footage of police beating

washington (Best Hindu News): Protests have erupted across the US after a footage was released which shows five former police officers brutally beating an African-American man in Memphis. The victim had died three days after the incident. Police officers are seen alternately kicking and punching 29-year-old victim Tyr Nicholls on January 7, reports the BBC.

On Friday, the Memphis Police Department released four graphic videos totaling more than an hour of footage.

The first video shows officers pulling Nichols out of his vehicle and yelling for him to fall to the ground.

A separate video from a CCTV camera mounted on a pole shows officers thrashing Nicholls after apprehending them in a residential area.

Two officers can be seen holding him down, while others alternately kick and punch and beat him with sticks.

They drag him on the ground and make him sit in front of a car.

The third and fourth videos show police body camera footage of the beating, in which Nichols is held down, pepper sprayed and hit. He was shouting mother again and again.

The five officers — Taddeus Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith — were taken into custody on Thursday, the BBC reported.

Each faces charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, misconduct and harassment.

According to jail records, four of the five got bail and were released from custody till Friday morning.

Protests broke out in New York and Memphis soon after the footage was released.

Rallies and demonstrations are also planned in Washington, Chicago, Boston, Detroit, Dallas, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta and Portland.

President Joe Biden called for the demonstrations to remain peaceful. “I am outraged and deeply saddened to see the horrific video of Tyra Nicholls being assaulted,” he said in a statement.