The Denver Civil Service Commission on Tuesday reinstated two police officers who had been fired after the beating of 24-year-old Michael DeHerrera outside a LoDo nightclub in 2009.

No information was released on the reasons for reinstating Officer Devin Sparks and Cpl. Randy Murr, who were fired in March after an investigation found that Sparks assaulted DeHerrera and that both officers lied about it.

Denver Manager of Safety Ashley Kilroy issued a written statement at 9:30 p.m., adding that no further comment would be made on the decision “as the disciplinary process continues.”

“I cannot and do not tolerate excessive force in our city’s safety agencies or departing from the truth by any of our employees,” Kilroy stated.

“I stand by Manager Garcia’s decision to terminate Officer Sparks and Officer Murr and I do not agree with the hearing officers’ decision to overturn their termination,” Kilroy’s statement continued. “However, I respect the process that led to that conclusion and will support the city attorney’s office’s determination of next steps.”

The mayor’s office declined to comment, and spokesman Wil Alston said City Attorney Doug Friednash, who is pressing the city’s case against the pair, also would not comment on the decision.

Kilroy’s statement added that the two would “undergo the reinstatement process and will be placed in non-line (off-street) assignments upon their return.”

A message left on DeHerrera’s cellphone was not immediately returned.

DeHerrera told 9News: “I’m shocked, appalled, disappointed. We can’t believe it. There are knots in our stomachs. I guess we had it wrong. Denver police can do whatever they want to whomever they want and get away with it.”

DeHerrera and a friend, Shawn Johnson, were kicked out of a Lower Downtown bar on April 4, 2009. A city surveillance camera captured DeHerrera talking on the phone — he was calling his father, a Pueblo County sheriff’s deputy — as police arrested Johnson.

Sparks then grabbed DeHerrera, apparently without provocation, and repeatedly struck him with a piece of metal wrapped in leather as DeHerrera was otherwise motionless on the ground. Sparks picked him up roughly and slammed a car door on his ankle after pushing the badly beaten man into a cruiser.

In his police report, Sparks claimed DeHerrera “spun to his left attempting to strike me in the face with a closed right fist” and that the level of force was necessary.

Police Independent Monitor Richard Rosenthal, however, called the officers’ account “pure fiction.”

The video released to news media earlier this year spurred public outrage and became a symbol of claims of Denver police brutality, which was an issue in this year’s mayoral race.

The Denver City Council gave DeHerrera a $17,500 out- of-court settlement, while Johnson received $15,500.

The Denver Police Protective Association is paying for the officers’ attorneys.

“I think the Civil Service Commission actually took the time to review the case and base their decisions on the merits, rather than the political correctness of the situation,” union secretary Mike Mosco said. “Had they tried the merits of the case rather than trying the case in the media, it would have never gotten this far.”

Murr and Sparks were fired in March, 23 months after the alleged assault, in part because the investigation was reopened after former Safety Manager Ron Perea suspended them for several days without pay. Public uproar over the decision later led to Perea’s resignation.

Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com