海角大神

Three Virginia liquor agents involved in a bloody arrest that led to protesters calling the encounter racist, followed procedures and did nothing wrong, the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Department said Monday.

University of Virginia student Martese Johnson's arrest sparked outrage after photos and video of the 20-year-old surfaced on social media of Mr. Johnson pinned to the sidewalk by an officer and bleeding from the head. Johnson, who is black, could be heard on the recordings calling the officers racist.

"After thoroughly reviewing the incident and the report, Virginia ABC concluded that the agents did not violate agency policy and returned these special agents to active duty today," the ABC said in a news release.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) ordered Virginia State Police to investigate, which concluded about two weeks ago.聽

Governor McAuliffe also called for the retraining of the agency's approximately 130 law enforcement officers. The ABC said that training 鈥� which included hands-on and classroom instruction on use of force, cultural diversity, effective interaction with youth, and community policing 鈥� was completed in July.

The governor also appointed a panel to examine ABC's law enforcement practices and make recommendations by Nov. 1.

The arresting agents had been on desk duty since March, following the incident that occurred outside a pub across the street from the UVA campus. Almost two聽months ago, a Charlottesville prosecutor said a separate criminal investigation found no evidence of malice or racism by the officers, who were not charged.

"Because Virginia law prohibits disclosure of personnel files, the administrative review will not be released, and Virginia ABC cannot comment on specifics of the matter," the department said.

State police have also refused to release the report.

Commonwealth's Attorney Dave Chapman dropped misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and public intoxication against Johnson in June.

According to Mr. Chapman, the pub owner told investigators that he turned Johnson聽away after he failed to correctly recite the ZIP code on his ID. Witness accounts of what happened next varied. Johnson and some witnesses said he was "slammed" to the ground by the officers, and photos taken after the arrest show Johnson with a bloody face. Other witnesses said the officers and Johnson appeared to fall accidentally, an account that lines up with what the ABC agents reported.

The incident with Johnson occurred two years after another UVA student was arrested by ABC agents outside a supermarket when a case of water she bought was mistaken for alcohol. Undercover agents surrounded Elizabeth Daly's vehicle, one pulling a gun and another trying to break her windshield with a flashlight. Ms. Daly was not aware the men were law enforcement, and called 911 to report the incident. The public backlash was fierce, and Daly ultimately settled a lawsuit for $212,500.

At the time of Johnson's arrest in March, The聽海角大神 Science Monitor聽reported on the role of alcohol agents on college campuses:

Martese鈥檚 attorney, Daniel Watkins of Williams Mullen, issued a statement when charges were dropped against Johnson, 鈥淭his has been quite the ordeal for聽Martese, and we are happy that he no longer faces the threat of criminal prosecution.鈥� Mr. Watkins declined to say whether聽Johnson聽will file a lawsuit.

This report includes material from the Associated Press.