POLICE brutality in the US has once again made headlines after a simple traffic stop in California left a man battered, bruised and bloodied.

Christopher Ballew’s arrest at an Altadena petrol station sparked outrage after the violent footage was captured on video by a bystander.

3 Christopher Ballew was assaulted at a petrol station in Altadena, California Credit: YouTube

Ballew, a 21-year-old assistant director at a marketing firm said: “I was beaten that day as if I was a runaway slave.”

Pasadena public information officer William Boyle claimed police officers Lerry Esparza and Zachary Lujan had simply stopped Ballew – a black male - because of his car’s darkly tinted windows and missing front number plate.

However, public pressure for a closer look at events resulted in six dashcam and bodycam videos to be released.

This footage revealed how Ballew was stopped as he walked towards the petrol station’s minimart after filling up his white Mercedes at the pump.

As he walks, an officer grabs him by the arm and leads him back to the vehicle.

3 The 21-year-old marketing professional was beaten with fists and a baton Credit: YouTube

Yelling in his face, another officer says: “You better stop acting like a dummy, dude,” as they spread his feet wide, forcing him into a kneeling position.

Ballew repeatedly and calmly asks the officers to contact their commanding officer as they force his hands into handcuffs and begin beating him with a baton.

As he is forced to the ground, Ballew is repeatedly struck with fists and the baton, with sharp blows to his back and legs.

Ballew is eventually taken to the hospital where he was found to have suffered a broken leg. No charges were ever pressed against him.

The bodycam and dashcam videos show how quickly the matter escalated with fears that it had the potential to turn fatal.

3 He was left lying on the ground screaming with blood in his eyes Credit: YouTube

Ballew said: “When I watch this video, the only thing that I could think of is how thankful I am to still be here. There was a point where the officer pointed his gun at me.”

His attorney, John Burton, added: “This is an absolutely out-of-control situation and compounded by a really cowardly and indifferent police management team.”

This incident marks the first time such videos have been made public since the city of Pasadena provided police with body-worn cameras last year.

Police brutality in the United States has become a major issue, with many incidences of innocent and unarmed black people being subjected to assaults by police officers.

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The 2014 shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri sparked mass rioting across the US and brought the relationship between black Americans and a predominantly white police force under strain.

Last year, 32-year-old Philando Castile was shot dead by officer Jeronimo Yanez after he was pulled over for a broken taillight.

Dashcam footage of the incident revealed how Castile was shot through his open window, moments after revealing to the officer that he was licensed to carry a concealed weapon.