'I am disappointed': Police chief weighs in after video surfaces of cops beating man

MESA, Ariz. – The police chief in Mesa, Arizona placed three officers on leave after video surfaced of them beating a man outside an apartment building. 

The chief says he is investigating, but some say nothing the victim could have said to police warrants the force they used on him. 

Robert "Junior" Johnson, 33, is seen on his phone in the video, and then suddenly gets kneed and punched by Mesa cops.

The incident happened on May 23 on the third floor of a Mesa apartment complex.

"The things that he said and him leaning against the wall made the officers feel as though they needed to have him sit down. When he didn't sit down, they applied force to have him sit down," Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista said. 

Batista says the department is interviewing everyone involved and wants answers. 

"I am disappointed in what I saw," Batista said.

He's also making changes.

"There's going to be a special directive that says that we will not strike someone in the face or head unless they are showing us active aggression," Batista said.

Johnson was charged with disorderly conduct. His lawyer wants Mesa police to accept responsibility.

Before the police who punched Johnson arrived, another officer had already patted him down for weapons. He was at the building with a friend, who was allegedly trying to get into his ex-girlfriend's apartment.