ALBANY — A city police officer has been arrested and two other officers suspended in connection with the alleged assault of two black men who were pummeled at a First Street residence on March 16 after police responded to a call for loud music.

A criminal complaint filed in City Court against Officer Luke Deer, who joined the department in 2014, accuses him of using his baton to hit a man identified as Armando Sanchez in the face and head during an attack that, according to the charges, was unjustified. The assault caused bleeding and bruises, the complaint states.

Deer is charged with felony assault and a misdemeanor count of official misconduct.

Police Chief Eric Hawkins said that only one victim was assaulted, but he acknowledged it's possible there was more than one victim and the investigation is continuing.

Sources briefed on the case told the Times Union that a second man, who had refused to open the door of the residence to police, was thrown to the ground and kicked by officers, but the investigation has not resulted in any charges for that portion of the incident.

Hawkins said shortly after the early morning confrontation, video taken from a bystander with a cellphone was sent to a City Hall employee, which was then forwarded to the department, prompting them to probe further. It also was shared widely on social media. Reviewing footage from officers' body-worn cameras helped provide more context to the incident, he said.

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It's unclear whether police supervisors had reviewed footage from the the officers' body cameras immediately after the incident.

Mayor Kathy Sheehan joined Hawkins at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon where they answered questions about the incident. Hawkins said the investigation is ongoing and additional criminal charges against police officers are possible.

"It was determined that not only had officer Deer violated departmental policy, but he had also committed criminal acts as well," Hawkins told reporters at the Tuesday afternoon news conference. "I am convinced that the misconduct I observed by these few officers was an aberration. Nonetheless, I condemn that misconduct in the strongest terms, and I'm sending a strong message that such conduct will not be tolerated in the Albany Police Department."

The chief initially said no weapons were used but the department later corrected that statement, confirming one of the officers — Deer — had used a baton during the alleged assault.

Deer was arraigned in City Court, pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance. His next court appearance is scheduled for Monday. He has been suspended without pay.

Another officer, Matthew Seeber, could also face criminal charges beyond pending disciplinary charges, sources said. A third officer who was at the scene was suspended and is under investigation. Hawkins declined to confirm that Seeber had been suspended or to confirm the identity of the third officer, despite the department's precedent for identifying officers who are placed on leave. The suspension of a police officer is a matter of public record under state law.

The incident began last month after officers were called to a First Street residence where police said they have responded in the past for loud disturbances. The incident was recorded by bystanders holding cell phones and also captured by multiple police body cameras.

"These officers were called to the house that night because of the lawlessness that has been allowed to perpetuate over several months. This house has been allowed to disrupt the normal way of life in the neighborhood for far too long," the Albany Police Union posted on social media Tuesday night.

The call became confrontational when Seeber allegedly kicked in the front door of the residence after a man told the officers through a glass window that he would not open the door unless they had a search warrant. That man was subsequently dragged into the doorway and kicked by at least one officer, according to people familiar with the incident.

A second man who was standing in the street and complaining about what was taking place was charged and knocked to the ground by Deer, who allegedly was clutching a baton as he punched the man, the sources said.

Hawkins said three men were arrested following the incident and charged with inciting a riot, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, obstruction of governmental administration and endangering the welfare of a child. A fourth man was handcuffed but not charged.

The charges against the three men are pending in City Court. The Albany County district attorney's office has filed a motion to dismiss the charges against the three men "in the interest of justice."

"What those individuals were being charged with was not accurate," Hawkins said. "The correct and ethical decision to be made was to drop those charges."

The three people arrested in connection with the March 16 incident will appear in city court Wednesday morning for formal dismissal proceedings.

"After being made aware of the incident, our office immediately began a review of the events surrounding these arrests," the district attorney's office said in a statement. "We then contacted the defense attorneys representing these individuals and advised them that preliminary findings have prompted motions to dismiss these charges in the interest of justice to be filed by our office."

The office said it continues to investigate the incident remains under investigation and asks anyone with information to call them at 518-487-5460.

Sheehan said she had been allowed to view the officers' body-camera footage and believes that what she saw warranted the officer's arrest.

"I have very little doubt that this video will be released," the mayor said. "I believe that the overwhelming majority of the members of this department, if watching that video, would agree 100 percent with the conclusions that have been made ... because it doesn't reflect what I see and what we expect from the men and women of this department."

Watch video of the full press conference.

Police later showed the body camera footage to Alice Green, a civil rights activist. Green, the executive director of the Center for Law and Justice, said her office was contacted by one of the victims following the incident. She said the video shows officers kicking in the door of a home, dragging a man out and kicking him in the head.

"They were atrocious, how the police handled this situation. They had no right to enter the property. They used excessive force – kicked the door in, dragged people out, kicked them," Green said. "They were doing nothing. They weren't resisting."

Michael Feit, an attorney for one of the victims who said he has seen the police body-cam video, said that the man was "beaten for no reason. He got jumped. He got pummeled ... The police created this whole situation."

Initially, two officers responded to the call, of which Deer was one of them, police confirmed. It's unclear whether the third officer could face criminal charges. Up to a dozen officers were eventually called to the scene.

Last August, Seeber, 29, was charged with misdemeanor assault after an incident at Tequila Cowboy in Nashville. Court records show the charge was dismissed on Sept. 10.

Less than two months after Deer joined the police force in 2014, he was credited with using CPR to help save the life of a man suffering a heart attack.

The police chief confirmed that one of the officers — who has neither been suspended or charged at this point — turned off his body camera during the incident. This is against department policy, Hawkins said.

Police later showed the body camera footage to Alice Green, a civil rights activist. Green, the executive director of the Center for Law and Justice, said her office was contacted by one of the victims following the incident. She said the video shows officers kicking in the door of a home, dragging a man out and kicking him in the head.

"They were atrocious, how the police handled this situation. They had no right to enter the property. They used excessive force – kicked the door in, dragged people out, kicked them," Green said. "They were doing nothing. They weren't resisting."

Michael Feit, an attorney for one of the victims who said he has seen the police body-cam video, said that the man was "beaten for no reason. He got jumped. He got pummeled ... The police created this whole situation."

Initially, two officers responded to the call, of which Deer was one of them, police confirmed. It's unclear whether the third officer could face criminal charges. Up to a dozen officers were eventually called to the scene.

Last August, Seeber, 29, was charged with misdemeanor assault after an incident at Tequila Cowboy in Nashville. Court records show the charge was dismissed on Sept. 10.

Less than two months after Deer joined the police force in 2014, he was credited with using CPR to help save the life of a man suffering a heart attack.

The police chief confirmed that one of the officers - who has neither been suspended or charged at this point - turned off his body camera during the incident. This is against department policy, Hawkins said.

"Each and every officer involved, will through the appropriate process have the opportunity to vindicate their names," the police union said. "The APOU stands behind our members and they will have our full support."

The arrest of Deer is one of several troubling incidents that have bedeviled Hawkins, who was sworn in as chief last September.

Hawkins stepped into the position the day Albany police revealed Det. James Olsen was justified in shooting 19-year-old Ellazar Williams during a brief chase in August. The shooting of Williams, which left the Albany resident paralyzed from the chest down, incited outrage in the community and fueled mistrust between police and residents.

Green points to the shooting of Williams as what's led to residents growing mistrust of law enforcement in Albany. She said the Center for Law and Justice has received several reports of similar incidents of excessive force used.

"People are very suspicious right now because there have been a number of these reported to our office, but this is the one that had the video," Green said, noting how the department has handled the First Street confrontation could help mend relations. "Transparency is very important to people in the community, and I think this certainly helps the department."

Then in January, an off-duty Albany police officer who was allegedly patronizing a prostitute at a Utica residence fatally shot a man who tried to rob him at knifepoint during the illicit encounter, according to police.

The officer, Christofer M. Kitto, was carrying $3,000 cash at the time of the shooting and had met up with the woman after leaving nearby Turning Stone Casino. He remains suspended and Utica police are continuing to investigate the fatal shooting.

Both Sheehan and Hawkins said how the department is handling the First Street incident hopefully will help with community-police relations.

"I think that to a certain degree there has been some tension in the community, and part of that tension revolved around the perception that the police department wasn't transparent and open," Hawkins said. "This is an opportunity to really shatter that perception, to really show our community that we do the right things, we do it at the right time, and we hold our people accountable."

Reporter Sara Cline contributed to this report.