Officials are investigating how a 17-year-old was left bruised, bloodied, and swollen beyond recognition during an encounter with police Saturday night in Troy, Alabama.

Police officers in Troy saw the teenager, Ulysses Wilkerson, walking behind a closed business in the city's downtown late Saturday night, the department said in a statement. When the officers exited their vehicle and approached him, he ran away. Officers chased him down and after "a lengthy pursuit," and a struggle ensued, police said.

Police say the use of force was "necessary" because it looked like Ulysses was reaching for a weapon.

In their statement, police say the teenager "resisted arrest and refused to comply with commands from the officers to place his hands behind his back. The subject continued to struggle with officers and kept reaching toward his waistband as if he was attempting to access a weapon; all while repeatedly ignoring officers' commands to stop resisting and give them his hands."

"Due to the subject’s actions and failure to comply with officers commands Officers had to use physical force to affect the arrest. The force used was reasonable and necessary," police said.

After Ulysses was taken to the hospital, the department said its officers returned to where they made "initial contact" with the teen and "retraced the path" he ran and found a handgun on the ground.

The handgun was collected and placed into evidence for further processing. However, Ulysses' family, activists, and members of the community are demanding answers as to why the 17-year-old was so severely injured.

The Troy police chief is now asking for an independent investigation. A spokesperson for the police department told BuzzFeed News that all questions about the incident should be directed to the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation.

In a statement, the bureau confirmed that Troy police officers arrested a 17-year-old at 11:52 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 23. During the arrest, the teen was injured and transported to Troy Regional Medical Center, the statement said. He was later transported to University of Alabama Medical Center in Birmingham and subsequently released.

"City of Troy Police Chief Randall Barr requested the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) conduct an independent investigation into the use of force by his officers," the bureau's statement continued. "Chief Barr’s request was approved and Agents from SBI immediately responded to Troy, conducting interviews and collecting evidence."

On Friday, Troy Mayor Jason Reeves announced that the officer involved was put on leave and that the two misdemeanor charges (obstructing governmental operations and resisting arrest) still stand, though he said "the investigation is ongoing" and asked for "patience" as the probe continues.

"I want to stress to our community that we all must let the independent review process take its course," Reeves said in a statement. "Regardless of the outcome, I want our citizens to know that I will diligently work to make sure the public is informed. I love this city and am concerned about the welfare of all our citizens."

Meanwhile, the teen's family is demanding to see police body camera and dashcam footage, claiming that officers beat their son when he was already in handcuffs. His parents both shared now-viral photos of Ulysses lying on a bloody white sheet in the hospital, his eye swollen shut and nose, lips, and face bruised and crusted with blood.

"Troy police officers did this to my son while he was in handcuffs," Angela Williams, Wilkerson's mother, wrote in a on Facebook. Williams added that her son had been transported to the hospital for his injuries and that she still knew little about what had actually transpired.

"Please share this," she wrote. "Shit happening in Troy, Alabama now."

More than 80,000 people have shared the post, with many calling for answers from the police in comments.

"As y'all can see troy police officers tried to kill my son and he has massive swelling and they can't start surgery until swelling goes down," the teen's father, Ulysses Wilkerson Jr., said on Sunday.