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The New York Police Department (NYPD) is now investigating an incident where police officers assaulted two Black men. The beating left he men both severely injured.

The incident began Tuesday afternoon when two officers confronted the men exchanged words and one of the officers used his baton to strike one of men’s head. The second officer proceeded to join his fellow officer in the assault. The violent episode was captured on camera by a witness according to the New York Post. Then three plain-clothed people noticed the interaction and joined the fight. The NYPD later disclosed these bystanders were two detectives and an off-duty deputy.

Witnesses claimed the men were smoking and blocking a stairwell when officers arrived on the scene and once they confronted the men, the fighting began.

After seeing the video footage, New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio called the incident “really troubling.” DeBlasio said early reports implied the two men “were creating a real problem for neighbors.”

“But that being said, the images I saw in that video were really troubling. And we need to know a lot more,” DeBlasio added.

The men have been identified as Aaron Grissom and Sydney Williams both 36 years old according to The New York Post. Grissom told the newspaper he was a victim of racial profiling and compared the assault to the brutal 1991 police beating of Los Angeles man Rodney King.

“I got beat down like I’m Rodney King,” Grissom alleged.

Grissom left the fight with three broken ribs and needed five stitches in his head. Williams suffered a bruised face. Grissom and Williams were both arrested with felony assault charges on a police officer, resisting arrest, menacing, disorderly conduct and loitering.

NBC New York reported the NYPD union justified the excessive use of force by officers, as Grissom and Williams reportedly provoked the officers in order to become internet stars.

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