Video of black college student arrested by police sparks protests

'We were harassed and assaulted because someone felt uncomfortable around us'

Cellphone video shows a young black man detained by police in Washington DC. (DaRealBigHomie/Twitter)

Cellphone video of a young black man being physically restrained on Monday has sparked outcry in the Washington DC community.

Jason Goolsby, an 18-year-old student at the University of the District of Columbia, maintains that he was withdrawing money from an ATM when a white couple felt uncomfortable and phoned the police. Several Metropolitan Police Department arrived to the scene and arrested Mr Goolsby along with a friend. The pair would later upload video of the incident on Twitter.

"One of the friends at the Today we we're harassed and assaulted because 'someone felt uncomfortable around us' in a bank," Mr Goolsby's friend wrote on Twitter.

Officer Sean Hickman of MPD later said that police initially received reports of a suspicious person and the person filming the incident was interfering with police.

“The initial call was for a suspicious person, three subjects may be trying to rob people at the ATM. The location for the call was 6th St and Pennsylvania Ave SE. Officers in the area responded to the assignment,” he said in a statement.

“One individual fled on foot from the police, was chased, and then taken down. The individual resisted, and was handcuffed while resisting after he refused to stop. The person making the video was interfering with police, and was also detained while the incident was investigated. Neither individual was arrested.”

Erika Totten, a local activist, organised protests for Tuesday afternoon near the Citibank where the incident occurred, CBS-Washington reported.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.