The YouTube video, taken on a cell phone, has sparked claims of 'police brutality' as well as a protest at the Mission substation last night.
About 100 people marched along the road and stood outside the electricity distribution centre. Police watched over the protest in riot gear as the angry residents shouted 'police brutality', NBC reports.
Police Chief Greg Suhr said the incident originally started because a 20-year-old man was asked to stop riding their bike on the sidewalk but then escalated quickly into a 'tremendously resistive situation'.
D'Paris Charles Williams was arrested on Friday when members of the city’s violence reduction team ordered him to stop riding his bicycle on the sidewalk in the Valencia Gardens Housing Complex.
Mr Suhr said: 'Why the desperation to avoid this police contact which would be just a simple citation for riding on the sidewalk?
'From what I see in the video, the officers are also being punched at. Our rule is they can use whatever force reasonable to overcome the resistance,'
Police chief: Greg Suhr said the incident started when a 20-year-old man was asked not to ride his bike on the sidewalk
In the six-minute clip, several police cars are parked in the middle of the road and scores of people line the sides of the road shouting at the police.
Five officers were injured; two went to the hospital.