Stanback got angry when one of the four asked why he had arrested their friend earlier in the day, and the group left, she said.

Stanback called for help, then went inside the station and returned with a riot baton, which is not normally carried by officers and is only issued to officers for crowd control, Gegenheimer said.

Officers from Velda City and elsewhere soon arrived and located the group outside a nearby apartment building.

One teen was handcuffed and the others were either sitting or lying on the ground when Stanback arrived. He hit one seated youth multiple times, swinging the riot baton like a baseball bat, Gegenheimer said. Then he began beating the adult, who was lying on the ground. After a supervisor wrestled it away, Stanback began punching and kicking the man before moving on to a handcuffed teen. He was finally pulled away by other officers, she said.

Prosecutors say that Stanback’s victims were not charged and were released that same night. All went to the hospital for treatment of bruises, scrapes and swelling.