Two Dover police officers and a sergeant were placed on paid administrative leave Monday after stunning video spread on social media of an officer repeatedly punching a Morristown teen in the face while he was on the ground as other officers restrained and handcuffed him.

Mayor James Dodd made the announcement during a press conference Monday outside Town Hall, minutes before the suspect, Cyprian Luke, 19, was arraigned in Superior Court in Morristown on a previous charge of third-degree assault.

Dodd called the video “disturbing” but did not comment on how the incident should have been handled.

“I understand we live in an age of social media, where there is a tendency to rush to judgement," Dodd said. "However, given the independent investigation now ongoing, I urge everyone to show restraint until all the facts come out and an independent investigation is completed.”

Charges related to the Sunday morning confrontation, captured on video by Luke's friend Marcus Robinson, have yet to be filed. Luke is scheduled for a detention hearing on Thursday.

Monday, with family members in the gallery, Luke entered the court wearing handcuffs and a yellow prison jumpsuit. He buried his bruised face in his hands while sitting next to his public defender, Tracy Denholtz.

Luke appeared distracted at times, frequently peering back at people in the gallery while Judge Stephen J. Taylor reviewed the case with Denholtz and Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Clementine Manochio.

Denholtz said she had not been advised of new charges related to the arrest, but would be defending Luke on all of his court matters. Luke's record also includes charges filed previously for simple assault, criminal mischief and violating a court order, related to a restraining order.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the incident under the supervision of the New Jersey Attorney General's Office "as required under their directive."

Attorney General's Office spokeswoman Sharon Lauchaire said that as part of the attorney general’s "focus on building community trust," the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability will be investigating the incident.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the OPIA hotline at: 1-844-OPIA-TIP.

Dodd said he has advised his staff and departments to cooperate with the attorney general and prosecutor with all their requests.

“I will not let this incident blemish the reputation of the entire force," Dodd said. "Given the independent investigation, I can only make limited comments, but rest assured, as mayor of this great town, I will not stand for, nor will I tolerate, abuse of any kind from any officer toward a member of the public. And if this investigation sustains that showing, swift action will be taken.”

Before the scene in the video that involved the officers restraining Luke, police were seen on video dragging him toward a patrol car while enduring an expletive-laden rant from those observing the arrest. Police did not appear to react in a physical manner toward those cursing them or the person recording the video.

Dover Public Safety Director Daniel DeGroot said police are "allowed to escalate as they’re placing someone under arrest. If there’s resistance, they’re allowed to escalate it one notch" in order to make the arrest.

“If somebody is going to put up their fists and resist an arrest, then the officers can use slightly higher force in order to overtake the suspect," he said. "I’m not talking about this particular incident. I’m talking about in general.”

Dover Alderwoman Carolyn Blackman also called for public "restraint" and for "an independent authority to conduct a swift, full and fair investigation into this tragic incident."

When videos such as these surface, she said "emotions can run high, especially in the African-American and Latino communities, as we have had to endure more than our fair share of mistreatment on every level." She said she praises the "professionalism of our dedicated and hardworking police officers as they deal with challenging situations every day."

Blackman said Dover is "not immune to the potential for the use of excessive force. Brutality by law enforcement against the very people they are duty-bound to protect and serve is unacceptable."

More:Video of Dover police arrest latest in line of footage showing alleged excessive force

What happened

Robinson said he was with Luke and another friend when he stopped briefly in the Krauszer's store off North Warren Street at 2:15 a.m. Sunday.

When Robinson exited the store, he said, "First thing I see is they sprayed him with Mace. They were all over him. He couldn't move his arms, but then they were saying 'stop resisting' at the same time. And then they started punching him. I thought bro was going to die."

Robinson said they were in town to get tattoos and were sober at the time.

He said he also spoke to Luke on Sunday after he was jailed. "He's hurting bad," Robinson said.

He said he shared the video with some people but did not post it on social media. Others, however, did post the video, setting off a firestorm of public reaction.

Street protest

Friends and family of Luke joined with activists to stage a protest Sunday night in the Krauszer's parking lot, across the street from the police station.

Several officers stood outside their headquarters to observe but did not engage the protesters as they marched along North Warren Street, chanting, "No justice, no peace, no racist police."

“Mr. Luke resisted police efforts to take him into police custody. There is no reason for me to believe at this time that race played any role in the incident," Dodd said.

Shanell Harris of Boonton, who said she is Luke's wife, confirmed reports that when first confronted, Luke gave the false name "Anthony" to police.

"But how would they know?" Harris said. "They didn't know him. He's from Morristown. How would they know?"

Luke's aunt, Rachelle Cruz, was among the protesters.

"He's a great kid. He gets in trouble here and there like a normal teenager, but he's not a violent person," said Cruz, a Dover resident. "He lives in the Hollow, which is the toughest area to live in Morristown, and you kind of have to be a little tougher. He doesn't like it, but he has to do what he's got to do to survive sometimes. But he's a great kid. The people here are doing it out of love for him."

Luke's grandmother, Aura Heredia, also attended the protest, where she teared up after someone showed her the video for the first time.

"It's too much," she said, her voice breaking.

Karol Ruiz, an attorney and president of the Morristown-based nonprofit Wind of the Spirit immigrant resource center, organized the protesters.

"I certainly don't understand police procedure. I only understand the difference between a peaceful arrest and a violent arrest," she said. "That video showed excessive force to me. That is a concerning pattern we are seeing across the country."

William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com