DETROIT – The video shows one officer delivering six punches while he's on top of the man and the second officer coming in with two kicks to the man's legs.
While celebrating their arrest, the officers continue to curse at the man. The larger officer kneeled on the man's back as he was face-down in the snow. The officer was enraged that the suspect moaned, "Jesus."
"You're calling Jesus? Don't you dare! Don't you (expletive) dare!" the officer can be heard saying.
The woman recording the arrest from inside her home believed she was watching police beat a man who was already in handcuffs and offering no resistance.
"This man is handcuffed and police is beating him while his hands is cuffed behind him," she says while recording the video.
The officers punched and kicked the man while attempting to handcuff him. One officer took a swipe after the cuffs were on. The other kneeled on the handcuffed man. It took the officers several more minutes to realize they left the man on the ground with a gun in his pants.
One of the officers is with Grosse Pointe Park police and the other is with Highland Park police. Both are part of a stolen car task force.
Grosse Pointe Park's chief said the suspect is an admitted carjacker who threatened to shoot a woman and her child while stealing their car. The task force was tracking the car, and the armed suspect running from police and resisting arrest resulted in this rough takedown.
In a statement, Grosse Pointe Park's chief calls the officers' actions "proper."
"Fearing for their safety and those in the immediate area, an officer delivered a kick to the thigh area of the subject, thus allowing the other officers the ability to arrest the subject. Located in his waistband was a loaded semi-automatic handgun." -- Chief David Hiller, Grosse Pointe Park police.
Read the full joint police statement here.
However, Detroit police have launched an investigation. The Detroit Police Department wants to know if any of their officers saw the Grosse Pointe Park and Highland Park officers doing anything improper.
"They will open an investigation and if any Detroit police officer witnessed, we expect full cooperation," said Detroit Police Chief James Craig.
Craig said the joint statement on the video released by police Tuesday should not have included his name under it.
"That statement was released over the names of the police chiefs of Detroit, Grosse Pointe Park, Harper Woods and Highland Park. I did not see the statement prior to its release," said Craig in separate statement released Tuesday evening. "There were no DPD officers at the scene at the time of the arrest and I did not intend to express any opinion on the actions of the officers involved."
The 51-year-old man arrested is expected to be in court Wednesday.
The Detroit mayor's office released this statement:
"After watching the video of the incident involving a suspect and officers from the ACTION Task Force, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan reached out to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy. Prosecutor Worthy has asked that the matter be handled by an independent investigation by the Michigan State Police. The prosecutor has indicated that she will be actively monitoring the investigation. The Detroit Police Department will cooperate fully with the Michigan State Police investigation."
Watch: Former Detroit police chief Godbee weighs in on controversial arrest video