HAMMOND — Hammond Police Chief Edwin Bergeron Jr. said Tuesday that an alleged victim of police brutality was not beaten by police but fell after he was tased for running from an officer during an alleged drug deal.

Outside of Hammond's police department were members of the NAACP, along with family and friends of McCaskey. 

"Looking at his injuries, you all can clearly say anybody falls you are not going to have that he is still spitting on his teeth until this day," one of the protesters said. 

The family says they want the officer's body camera footage from that night.

The chief said an officer pulled over a van whose license plate was registered to a man with an outstanding felony warrant near Magazine Street on Feb. 10. The chief claimed a drug deal was taking place when the driver and the passenger of the vehicle both got out of the car and took off. The officer ran after the driver.

Bergeron said that during the chase, the fleeing man reached for his waistband, so the officer fired a Taser at him. The chief said the man hit the ground and was hurt, so the officer rendered aid until ambulances arrived.

The man, 64-year-old Bobby McCaskey, has a lengthy criminal record, Bergeron noted. Bergeron also denied claims that the incident was police brutality.

"The false narrative that is being portrayed is that our officers beat him — some of them saying that there were several white officers that beat -- not that this matters but it was an African American officer. He was the single officer on scene when he made contact, and tased this individual" Bergeron said.

The chief said McCaskey had cocaine in his pocket when he was being chased. He said McCaskey was arrested in a similar situation in January. McCaskey had bonded out of jail and is a known drug dealer in Hammond, the chief added.

"While it is unfortunate that the suspect suffered an injury, the injury resulted from him hitting the ground and not from a beating, as is being alleged by some," Bergeron said. "If you don’t sell drugs and don’t run from the police, you don’t have to worry about getting tased."

Bergeron said McCaskey will face felony drug charges after he is discharged from the hospital. The chief did not say whether the passenger in the alleged drug deal was arrested.

The chief said an Internal Affairs investigation into the events on Feb. 10 is underway.