UPDATE (March 21, 2019):

A police dashcam video released Thursday shows a West Virginia police officer kicking and punching a handcuffed teenage boy on the ground and kneeling on his shoulder during a November traffic stop.

Berkeley County Prosecutor Catie Wilkes Delligatti released the eight-minute video to The Associated Press. The teen's face is redacted in the video, taken from a sheriff's cruiser.

The video shows two officers yanking the teen through the open driver's side window to the ground, where he lands face first and is immediately placed in handcuffs. Footage shows one of the officers then kicks and stomps him several times and puts his knee on the teen's shoulder blade, pressing down with his full weight. The officer then punches the teen at least eight times.

A minute later, the teen is pulled up to his feet but remains limp as he is thrown further to the side of the road.

Gov. Jim Justice has said the incident "cast a dark shadow" on law enforcement.

Authorities originally denied media requests for the video, citing the investigation.

Troopers Michael Kennedy and Derek Walker and a sheriff's deputy were fired in January. Another deputy who was fired recently got his job back.

Kennedy, 29, of Morgantown, was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury on one count of deprivation of rights under color of law — language used to describe crimes committed by police officers while on duty.

The indictment accuses Kennedy of using excessive force resulting in bodily injury.

The teen was treated at a hospital and released.

State police have said the teen was involved in a crash with a sheriff's cruiser before a pursuit ensued, his vehicle crashing again before he was apprehended. Delligatti said she couldn't release details on whether the youth was charged, saying juvenile prosecutions are sealed.

The American Civil Liberties Union's West Virginia chapter has said it would look into whether the teenager's civil liberties were violated.

"The brutality witnessed in this video is shocking but all too familiar," said Loree Stark, the West Virginia chapter's legal director, in a statement. "Law enforcement has a constitutional responsibility to avoid excessive force, and it is crucial for videos like this to come to light so that offending parties will be held accountable."

Walker also faces an excessive force lawsuit filed last year by a Charles Town attorney who says the trooper dragged his wife and slammed her to the ground in 2016 while she was talking to construction workers about a sidewalk project. State police responded to the scene when a worker allegedly backed his truck into the driver's door of her SUV in a parking lot.

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UPDATE (March 20, 2019):

One of the West Virginia state troopers caught on dashcam video beating a 16-year-old suspect at a traffic stop has now been formally charged for using excessive force.

According to a release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia, former Trooper First Class Michael Kennedy – fired from the force earlier this year – is charged with one count of “Deprivation of Rights under Color of Law.”

Kennedy is accused of using excessive force that injured a detainee on Nov. 19, 2018 in Berkeley County.

Dashcam video of the incident, which Governor Jim Justice reviewed, showed Kennedy and former Trooper First Class Derek Walker beating a 16-year-old suspect in what police initially called "Response to Resistance/Aggression actions" which were found to be questionable.

There's no word yet on charges against Walker.

Kennedy could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted.

The troopers, stationed out of Martinsburg, were first suspended without pay, then fired in January. Berkeley County Deputy Austin Ennis, who reportedly stood by while the assault occurred, was also fired.

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UPDATE (Jan. 18, 2019):

Two West Virginia state troopers caught on dashcam video beating a 16-year-old suspect at a traffic stop have now been fired from the force.

Shortly after two Berkeley County deputies involved in the incident were terminated, the West Virginia State Police announced that Trooper First Class Michael Kennedy and Trooper First Class Derek Walker were discharged effective January 17.

The two were accused of excessive force

after dashboard camera video prompted Governor Jim Justice to make a public statement condemning their actions.

"I will NOT tolerate this kind of behavior in any way, shape, form, or fashion," Justice stated in a release.

Video allegedly showed the troopers beating a 16-year-old male suspect at the end of a pursuit while Berkeley County Deputy Austin Ennis stood by. The teen was treated at a hospital for injuries and later released.

West Virginia State Police listed the beating as "Response to Resistance/Aggression actions" which were found to be questionable.

The troopers, stationed out of Martinsburg, were suspended without pay, alongside Deputy Austin Ennis, while an investigation was conducted.

It's still unclear, based on official reports from various agencies, what role Deputy C.S. Merson played, but he was fired as well this week.

According to a lawsuit, it was not the first time Trooper Walker had been accused of excessive force.

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UPDATE (Jan. 17, 2019):

A West Virginia sheriff says two deputies have been fired after an internal investigation of a traffic stop involving two state police troopers and a sheriff's deputy in which a teenage motorist was seen being beaten.

Berkeley County Sheriff Curtis Keller

on Wednesday that deputies C.S. Merson and Austin Ennis were terminated as the result of the investigation, but declined to go into details.

Allegations surfaced Nov. 29 when Gov. Jim Justice called for an investigation of two state police troopers following a traffic stop in which he said the troopers were seen on a dashcam video beating a 16-year-old male suspect.

The troopers were suspended without pay, and state police spokesman Reginal Patterson says the agency is still investigating.

Sheriff Keller says the fired deputies have a right to a hearing and one has been requested but not yet scheduled.

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ORIGINAL STORY (Dec. 4, 2018):

A West Virginia state trooper who was suspended after a teen suspect allegedly was beaten during a traffic stop last month faces an excessive force lawsuit from another incident earlier.

Charles Town attorney Braun Hamstead filed the lawsuit earlier this year against Martinsburg Trooper First Class Derek R. Walker.

A state police spokesman did not immediately comment on the suit Monday.

Walker and Trooper First Class Michael W. Kennedy were suspended without pay last week amid a criminal and internal investigation into a Nov. 19 traffic stop. Gov. Jim Justice learned last week of dashcam video showing the incident involving a 16-year-old male and ordered state police to investigate. The teen was treated at a hospital and released.

According to the lawsuit, Hamstead's wife, Julie Ann Hamstead, was talking to construction workers about a sidewalk project she disputed in April 2016 when a worker allegedly backed his truck into the driver's door of her SUV in a parking lot.

Walker and other troopers responded to the incident. The lawsuit says Walker told Julie Hamstead several times to "shut up" before proceeding to drag her. It says Walker then pushed her face into a truck so hard that her glasses broke and slammed her to the ground before placing her in handcuffs.

After putting her in his state police cruiser, Walker turned up the already blaring music he was playing with the windows closed, according to the lawsuit. She was charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing a police officer.

Walker drove her to a hospital for treatment, and hospital staff advised the trooper that she had a possible muscle tear to her left arm, the lawsuit said. Her knees also were bloodied and she had other bruises and contusions, it said.

Her husband said Julie Hamstead has since moved out of state for fear of Walker.

The lawsuit was moved to federal court after initially being filed in Jefferson County Circuit Court. It names more than a dozen other defendants.

A federal judge in August ruled Walker was acting in his official capacity, was entitled to qualified immunity, and removed both him and the state police from the lawsuit. The judge has yet to rule on an amended complaint filed in September that attempts to add Walker and state police back into the lawsuit. Braun Hamstead said the amended complaint addresses what the court indicated were deficiencies in the earlier lawsuit.

In addition to the suspension of Walker and Kennedy in last month's traffic stop, Berkeley County Sheriff Curtis Keller told news outlets that Deputy Austin Ennis was present during the incident and was placed on administrative leave without pay Friday. Keller didn't return a telephone message to The Associated Press.

A listed phone number for Walker could not be located.