Police investigate after officer throws woman to ground

This is a Friday, April 7, 2017, booking photograph of 22-year-old Michaella Surat supplied by the Fort Collins, Colo., Police Department. Surat, a junior at Colorado State University, has been charged on suspicion of third-degree assault and obstructing a peace officer. A video spreading on social media shows a Fort Collins Police Department officer throwing Surat face-first onto a sidewalk after a scuffle. (Fort Collins, Colo., Police Department via AP) (The Associated Press)

Recropped-This is a Friday, April 7, 2017, booking photograph of 22-year-old Michaella Surat supplied by the Fort Collins, Colo., Police Department. Surat, a junior at Colorado State University, has been charged on suspicion of third-degree assault and obstructing a peace officer. A video spreading on social media shows a Fort Collins Police Department officer throwing Surat face-first onto a sidewalk after a scuffle. (Fort Collins, Colo., Police Department via AP) (The Associated Press)

Fort Collins police have launched an investigation after a video showed an officer throwing a woman face-first to the sidewalk after a scuffle in this university town.

Police earlier told the Coloradoan newspaper that officers were responding to a fight between two men near a bar when Colorado State University student Michaella Surat struck the officer after police detained her boyfriend. Police spokeswoman Kate Kimble said the officer used "standard arrest control" to control her.

A booking photo of Surat released by police did not show any visible injuries to her face.

She was arrested on suspicion of third-degree assault and obstructing a peace officer and released on bond. She could not be located for comment.

In a statement Sunday evening, police Chief John Hutto said the video shared on social media does not have the "context or content of the full event." He said the incident was captured by police body cameras but he said he would not release that footage until after the investigation is complete.

"I am committed to preserving a process that ensures a fair and impartial outcome. I am equally committed to preserving the rights of both Ms. Surat and the involved officers," he said.

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Information from: Fort Collins Coloradoan, http://www.coloradoan.com