Two Springfield police officers were arrested and charged in federal court Wednesday in connection with allegations of police brutality.

Gregg A. Bigda, of Wilbraham, was charged in an indictment unsealed Wednesday with one count of deprivation of rights - excessive force, two counts of deprivation of rights - abusive interrogation, and one count of obstructing justice by writing a false report.

Steven M. Vigneault, of East Longmeadow, was charged with one count of deprivation of rights - excessive force.

The charges stem from an incident in February of 2016 in which Bidga allegedly kicked and spat on teenagers in custody.

The teens were accused of stealing an undercover police vehicle parked outside a Springfield pizza shop earlier that evening while Vigneault, a former narcotics detective, was inside picking up an order, according to police reports.

A police chase ensued, ending in Palmer after police deployed "stop sticks" to disable the vehicle. The teens took off on foot and were found on the porch of a home by a K-9.

While they were handcuffed and lying on the ground, Bigda is accused of kicking two of the teens in the face.

Bigda was later captured on surveillance video at the Palmer Police Station, which shows him threatening the teens.

"I'm not hampered by the f---ing truth 'cause I don't give a f---! People like you belong in jail. I'll charge you with whatever -- I'll stick a f---ing kilo of coke in your pocket and put you away for 15 years," Bigda shouted, as heard on the video.

The video was made public by The Republican in 2016, sparking a civil rights investigation.

One of the teens arrested filed suit in August, alleging he suffered two black eyes and repeated attacks by a police dog while in custody, in addition to assaults by police while in handcuffs.

After the teen repeatedly yelled, "They're going to kill me!" Bigda allegedly spit on him and said, "Welcome to white town, , motherf-----s," according to the lawsuit.

Bigda is accused of being inebriated that night, according to the lawsuit filed by one of the teens. "Officer Vigneault knew that Officer Bigda had been drinking rum, and he hoped that eating pizza would help him sober up," the lawsuit alleges.

"Even in the face of adversity, law enforcement officers are expected to conduct themselves professionally, respectfully, and with integrity," said U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling, in announcing the indictments. "They are ambassadors for the rule of law, and when they themselves break those laws, they violate not just the rights of their victims, but compromise the public's trust in law enforcement."

Following the incident, Bigda attempted to obstruct an internal investigation into the assaults, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, filing reports to Springfield Police Department Internal Investigations Unit denying kicking, spitting or saying inappropriate comments during the arrests.

Bigda was suspended for 60 days but has since passed the sergeant's exam. Vigneault resigned in 2016.

Bigda has a history of civilian complaints. He has been accused of assaulting a pregnant woman, saying "I hate Puerto Ricans" and pepper-spraying puppies to death.