Baltimore cop on paid leave after beating a man on camera

A Baltimore police officer who has not been officially identified has been put on paid leave after he was seen beating a man in a viral video clip.

The officer pushed Dashawn McGrier, 26, against a wall and punched him repeatedly. McGrier appears to try to move the cop's hand away but does not fight back. He was not arrested and was hospitalized Saturday evening to check for fractures on his face and ribs.

McGrier's attorney, Warren Brown, said his client has had a previous run-in with the same officer. Both times, he says, the officer targeted McGrier without cause, and the first incident resulted in McGrier being arrested on charges of assaulting an officer, disorderly conduct, obstructing and hindering, and resisting arrest.

"It seems like this officer had just decided that Dashawn was going to be his punching bag," said Brown. "And this was a brutal attack that was degrading and demeaning to my client, to that community, and to the police department."

Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said in a statement she has seen the "very disturbing" video and has "demanded answers and accountability." The police department will review the body camera footage of the officer responsible and that of another cop who was on the scene.

Watch the viral video of the beating here via The Baltimore Sun.