MPD has placed three police officers on administrative leave and is referring their cases to the U.S. Attorney for D.C. after a video went viral showing one officer repeatedly punching a Black man being restrained by the other officers.

The U.S. Attorney dropped all charges against the man late Monday.

The incident, which took place Sunday near Ketcham Recreation Center in Southeast, was captured in a widely viewed video showing three officers restraining the man while placing him under arrest. In the video, one officer punches the man in the face, head, and torso. A male voice can be heard telling officers, “You know, under protocol, if someone’s being restrained that’s no reason for you to hit him.” Another officer takes his gun out of his holster, ordering the crowd to back away.

At a press conference on Monday, D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee III said an initial search of the man, who has not been identified, found a gun. But he strongly decried the officers’ actions thereafter as “not consistent with our training… or our agency’s values.” Contee announced that all three officers have had their police powers revoked, and have been placed on “non-contact status,” meaning they are not allowed to have contact with the public pending criminal and administrative investigation.

The video drew widespread attention from D.C. lawmakers and residents, but also attracted national attention. Rapper Snoop Dogg posted the video on his Instagram account, drawing more than 8 million views in less than 12 hours.

The United States Attorney’s Office says it’s “examining the actions of Metropolitan Police Department officers involved” but declined to comment further because of the ongoing investigation. A spokesperson also wouldn’t comment on why the charges were dropped.

Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters Tuesday that she felt the man should have been charged. “But I also know the reality that the prosecutor probably said to himself ‘I’ll take this to the jury, there’s no way it’s going to be prosecuted. So I might as well spend my time on something else,'” she said. “The whole thing is completely frustrating. At least we got the gun, and we’ve identified somebody who maybe will take advantage of some help to choose a different path.”

At-Large Councilmember Robert C. White, Jr. tweeted that the incident “has made many of us angry and nervous,” while Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto added, “[T]he actions in the police interaction video from yesterday are reprehensible and we cannot allow an excessive use of force to go unchecked.” Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, who also attended the police conference, told followers on Instagram that he spoke to the police and encouraged them to review the body camera footage of the incident. White also said he had spoken to the man’s family about the incident.

The incident highlights what many say is a challenging balance to maintain in D.C.: City officials regularly decry gun violence and push police to find illegal guns, but some of the tactics police have historically used have drawn community opposition. Contee seemed to admit as much earlier this year, when he said he would reshape the department’s Gun Recovery Unit, which has been accused of using aggressive tactics to find and confiscate guns.

“MPD prides itself on treating everyone with respect,” said Contee on Monday. “Even when we are recovering guns and taking some of our most violent criminals off of our streets, it will be done constitutionally and respectfully. A standard as police officers are intentionally set high. This is to ensure we have the support and trust of the communities we serve. This video does not reflect that standard.”

During Monday’s press conference, Contee also decried three homicides and 12 shootings that occurred over the weekend. According to MPD, from July 26 to Aug. 2 officers recovered 55 illegal guns.

Earlier this year the D.C. Office of Police Complaints reported that in 2020 some 1,098 police officers reported using force. While that represents a 10% decrease over 2019, it is also a 73% increase from 2013. The report also found that 91% of use-of-force incidents involved Black men, and a majority of incidents took place in majority-Black neighborhoods in wards 5, 7, and 8.

“There’s nothing in the video that justifies this use force,” tweeted D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, who has proposed legislation he says would improve accountability in the department. “Our police officers have to be held to a higher standard because of their ability to deprive liberty and life.”

This story was updated with a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.