Phoenix police have launched an internal investigation to determine why some of its officers used force against a 23-year-old man and falsely accused him of stealing his own vehicle.

AaRone Fowler shared his story on his Instagram profile, saying two officers approached him around 3 a.m. Sunday near 16th and Monroe streets as he waited for a friend. He said the officers told him his vehicle had been reported stolen.

They subsequently pulled one of his arms, dragged him, pulled his hair and tied his feet together, according to his Instagram post. He said he suffered a busted lip and bruises on his face and shoulder.

After police determined the vehicle belonged to Fowler, he said, they let him go and told him he shouldn't have resisted. "They then ended this all with have a goodnight," he said in his post. "I was never taken to jail or even to a police station because no crime was committed."

Taylor's Instagram post about the incident has garnered a lot of social-media attention. As of Wednesday afternoon, his post had more than 24,000 likes. He says that he is a model and fashion designer and his profile has nearly 14,000 followers.

Did he resist arrest?

Police said in a statement that they used force on Fowler, who was with a friend that night, because he resisted when officers tried to apprehend both men.

Fowler, in a phone interview with The Arizona Republic, disputed the police's account that he resisted.

"They're saying I provoked this but that doesn't make any sense because neither of us went to jail," Fowler said.

"In the moment, I couldn't believe it was happening. It felt like an out-of-body experience," he said. "I genuinely don't remember resisting at all. In the moment, I just felt helpless. I said, 'Please, don't kill me.' I felt humiliated."

Benjamin Taylor, a Phoenix lawyer representing Fowler, said they "will look into this event and seek the truth into what happened that night."

In a statement, Phoenix police said officers approached two men in an area where there was a reported fight. The vehicle had its hazard lights on and was on the roadway, police said. The men refused to talk to police and a records check by police noted the vehicle was reported stolen out of Scottsdale, the statement said.

The men, who police didn't identify, began to walk away and the officers told them the vehicle was going to be towed, police said. Police then tried to detain both men, but a struggle began with one of them, the police statement said.

"When the struggle was over and both men were detained, the officers contacted the Scottsdale Police Department," the statement said. "At that time, it was determined the vehicle was a valid stolen vehicle, however, the theft was based upon failure to meet financial obligations by the purchaser, who was one of the two men. Because of that, the officers elected to release the two men and towed the vehicle."

The police statement also said detectives with the Professional Standards Bureau want to speak with the men as part of the internal investigation.

Uriel Garcia covers public-safety issues in Arizona. Reach him at uriel.garcia@azcentral.com. Follow him on Twitter @ujohnnyg.