JERSEY CITY - Four Jersey City police officers were suspended without pay and two deputy chiefs reassigned following the high-speed pursuit on June 4 that ended in a fiery crash, critically injuring an innocent bystander.

Mayor Steve Fulop and Public Safety Director James Shea said during a City Hall press conference today that the suspensions are related to violations of policies on police pursuits and not to the actions seen in a video of the aftermath of the crash, which show officers kicking the bystander. Those actions are the focus of an investigation by the Hudson County Prosecutor's Offices, Fulop and Shea said today.

"This is the first step for all the officers involved to be held accountable for their actions," said Fulop, reading from a prepared statement.

Fulop and Shea said a preliminary internal investigation provided "multiple indications of our officers and supervisors acting outside of the guidelines and training."

The two local police unions have sharply criticized Fulop for announcing that he wants the officers who are seen on the video terminated and criminally charged. Robert Kearns, president of the Jersey City Police Superior Officers Association, said in a statement the union is "disappointed" in the mayor for not giving the officers "an opportunity for due process."

"We are confident that a thorough investigation will provide a clearer picture of the actions for the officers involved where they are allowed an opportunity to defend the same," Kearns said. "In the meantime, we have contacted our attorney to review the issue and take all appropriate actions. We will continue to discuss the situation with the administration as the investigation progresses and we will aggressively defend our members' rights going forward."

The four officers are Lt. Keith Ludwig, MD Khan, Erik Kosinski and Francisco Rodriguez. Ludwig, who was promoted from sergeant on May 31, is a 24-year veteran of the department. Ludwig, Shea said today, has "an excellent record." The other three officers are recent additions to the force, joining between 2013 and 2015.

Ludwig was the supervisor responsible for overseeing the entire pursuit, Khan and Kosinski set up an unauthorized roadblock during the pursuit and Rodriguez fired at a moving vehicle, city officials said today. All are violations of state attorney general guidelines on police pursuits.

The three officers are recent additions to the force, joining between 2013 and 2015. Ludwig makes $137,172, Khan and Kosinski each make $61,000 and Rodriguez makes $46,800, according to payroll records.

It's not the first time Khan has been suspended since joining the force. In Feb. 2016, Khan and his brother were accused of assaulting and robbing the cop's brother-in-law. The victim, who suffered fractures to his face, said Khan threatened to shoot him, but a grand jury declined to indict him in the case.

The two deputy chiefs being reassigned are Mark Hussey, chief of patrol, and John Corry Short, chief of investigations. Both have been on the force since 1979 and have both been reassigned to city command, which oversees the day-to-day operations of the department in the absence of the chief.

Fulop and Shea said Ludwig can be seen in the video but would not say if he is one of the officers seen kicking the innocent bystander.

The pursuit began just before 11 p.m. on Sunday, June 4 near Ocean and Cator avenues. Shea said the department's street crimes unit attempted to stop a car driven by Leo Pinkston, 48, because it matched the description of a vehicle wanted for a shooting a few days earlier. Pinkston refused to stop and the pursuit from Greenville ended in a crash on Tonnelle Avenue in the Heights.

Shots were fired at Pinkston's car on Tonnelle Avenue at the Manhattan and Carlton avenue intersections. At least two officers fired their guns, Shea said, confirming the 48-year-old was shot in the leg during the gunfire.

Miguel Feliz, 28, of West New York, was severely burned in the crash and remains hospitalized at the St. Barnabas Burn Center in Livingston. It is Feliz seen being kicked by officers in the video.

In a statement from today, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said her investigation is "ongoing and results are pending."

Last week, Suarez asked for the public not to rush to judgement on the video. Fulop, however, said the suspensions and departmental charges are warranted based on their internal investigation.

"We are basing our decisions today based on actions that we know are in clear violation of the guidelines," the mayor said, adding that infractions of police pursuit policies "are entirely in our jurisdiction."

City officials said about 20 officers were involved in the crash that lasted more than six minutes. Fulop said the actions of all officers involved are being looked at and others may be suspended as more information becomes available.

Journal staff writer Terrence T. McDonald contributed to this report.