The Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office has placed a deputy on leave who allegedly beat a man in handcuffs after the Sugar Cane Festival last weekend.

People called for the deputy's termination after a YouTube video of the incident went viral. Iberia Parish Sheriff's spokesperson Capt. Ryan Turner said Sheriff Louis Ackal was made aware of the incident Monday night and placed that deputy — who remains unnamed — on administrative leave.

The video shows an officer pushing over 32-year-old Christopher Butler and then hitting him repeatedly. Butler's 17-year-old niece, Ladaedrea Moore, is also seen in the video being knocked aside by the officer as she sat on the ground next to Butler.

After the physical altercation, an officer approaches the videographer and yells, "I said to leave!" after flashing light into the camera.

The Rev. Raymond Brown of New Orleans-based civil rights group National Action Now said he believes the man who was in handcuffs was defenseless and there was no need for the deputy to use excessive for on him.

Brown's group is calling on the Department of Justice to investigate the matter and has planned a press conference for Monday, Oct. 7, on the corner of Hopkins and Robertson Streets in New Iberia, near where the incident took place.

Ryan said the Sheriff's Office will not comment further because it is an internal investigation.

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