A federal lawsuit was filed Monday alleging a Chicago police officer used excessive force during an arrest which was captured on a now viral Facebook video that shows him pleading for help.



Robert Foreman, 22, is suing the city of Chicago and an unnamed officer involved in an altercation near 88th Street and South Wabash Avenue on June 19.



The lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday afternoon, claims Foreman was chasing an assailant who had attacked him at gunpoint when police arrived at the scene.



His lawyers claim Foreman was arrested "to cover up the unlawful use of force the officers fabricated numerous criminal charges."



"As he was yelling to the police that he was robbed, he was taken down and beaten by a Chicago police officer, in the vicinity of 88th and Wabash," according to a statement from Foreman's lawyer Gregory Kulis. "Foreman continued to protest and yell that "he had just been robbed" (all captured on video) but the pummeling of punches continued."



A video posted to Facebook shows Foreman on the ground with a police officer on top of him and appearing to punch him four times. He was then handcuffed and led away by two police officers.



"Put your hands behind your back," the officer commands in the video.



"I'm not fighting," Foreman yells. "I'm not fighting. … I was just getting robbed."



Foreman was arrested for public consumption of alcohol near the Chatham neighborhood, according to court records.



"Officers initially tried to issue him a ticket until he ran," according to a statement from the Chicago Police Department. "Once they caught up to him, he resisted arrest."



Maurice Fulson, 38, a community activist, was walking through Chatham when he noticed officers chasing Foreman.



"I saw the boy running and he was yelling 'I got robbed' and they ran up behind him saying 'what you running for,'" Fulson said. "They had him down. The guy was on his stomach, face down and I seen the police officer hitting him and punching him."



He recognized the man from the neighborhood and decided to film the incident.



"My whole take on this is even if he was doing something wrong, when he was down and they had him down, there was no reason to hit him," Fulson said. "There was no reason for that cop to hit that guy. He was not resisting, his hands were behind his back."



The specifics of the arrest, the video and all relevant reports will be investigated by the Independent Police Review Authority, according to the statement from police.



"We are committed to the highest levels of integrity and professional standards and look forward to IPRA's review of this incident," the statement said.



Foreman was released from custody on a personal recognicance bond on Monday after he was charged with resisting arrest and public drinking, according to court records.