Video Of Cop Beating Black Man Investigated

A suburban Detroit police chief has said her department is "not hiding" from calls for action after the release of dash cam video showing an officer beating an unarmed black man.

Inkster Police Chief Vicki Yost spoke to reporters a day after protesters threatened to shut down the city until two white officers were sacked for the bloody arrest of Floyd Dent.

Dash cam footage of Mr Dent's arrest in January was aired by local media on Tuesday, prompting protests outside the police station.

The video shows two officers pulling the 57-year-old out of his vehicle during a traffic stop.

One officer is then seen holding Mr Dent around the neck and repeatedly punching him in the head and face while a second officer attempts to handcuff him.

"I'm lucky to be living," Mr Dent told WDIV-TV on Tuesday. "I think they was trying to kill me, especially when they had choked me.

"I mean, I was on my last breath. I kept telling the officer, 'Please, I can't breathe.'"

Mr Dent said he spent three days in hospital with broken ribs and head injuries.

Police initially charged the auto worker with assault, resisting arrest, and possession of cocaine.

Mr Dent said police planted the cocaine inside his vehicle. A judge later dropped the assault and resisting arrest charges.

Now Chief Yost has vowed to conduct a thorough investigation.

"We started this investigation. We're not hiding from it," she said.

"We will follow the facts and act accordingly. This is a self-initiated investigation.

"It is one that we started immediately when I became aware of the use of force and that someone was injured and went to the hospital."

The Michigan State Police was asked to conduct a separate investigation, Chief Yost added.

Both officers were put on paid administrative leave.

Community leaders said they are monitoring the situation closely.

"We're in the loop and we're working with officials in the investigation to ensure that justice is served," said the Reverend Joseph Stephens of the Inkster Ministerial Alliance.

"It's important to understand that Inkster does not have a history of this type of behaviour.

"As a matter of fact, we have a decent relationship between the community and the police department."

The case is the latest incident highlighting police treatment of black men in the US, which has become a major issue in the aftermath of the killings in Ferguson, Missouri, and in New York City.