Terry McAuliffe joined calls for an investigation on Thursday after a University of Virginia was injured during a bloody arrest, an incident that caused outrage on the college campus, The Associated Press reported.

The commonwealth's governor issued a statement asking police to look into "the use of force in this matter."

The decision came after the university's president, Teresa Sullivan, had asked McAuliffe for an independent review. Sullivan expressed "deep concern" about the incident, the Chicago Tribune noted.

The student, Martese Johnson, had tried to enter a bar near the university on Tuesday night when he was approached by Alcoholic Beverage Control agents, the agency charged with enforcing alcohol laws in Virginia. ABC News recalled. The officials decided to arrest the 20-year-old, at which time "the arrested individual sustained injuries," Alcoholic Beverage Control said in a statement.

Video captured on smartphones shows Johnson lying face down on the sidewalk; two agents are detaining him as bystanders yell, "His head is bleeding!" The Italian and media studies major was eventually charged with public intoxication and obstruction of justice.

"The individual received treatment for his injuries at a local hospital and was released," the Alcoholic Beverage Control statement noted.

The violent manner of Johnson's arrest had led to protests on the University of Virginia campus on Wednesday. About 1,000 students gathered at the school to demand justice, the AP noted. A statement from a group called "Concerned Black Students" alleged the way the arrest was handled was extreme.

"The brutish force used resulted in his head and bodily injuries," it said. "His treatment was unprovoked as he did not resist questioning or arrest."

Marcus Martin, the university's vice president for diversity and equity, and Maurice Apprey, its dean of African-American affairs, issues a joint statement to students and staff that described the incident as "appalling." They alleged Johnson's head was "slammed into the hard pavement with excessive force."

"This was wrong and should not have occurred," the faculty members wrote. "We view the nature of this assault as highly unusual and appalling based on the information we have received."

In Johnson's hometown, Chicago, meanwhile, friends and family expressed shock that the successful student would wind up bloodied on the ground after a run-in with authorities, the Chicago Tribune noted.