About twelve police officers from Philadelphia used their power abusively when they started beating three men stopped in response to a drug-related shooting. Unfortunately for them, they were videotaped.

Philadelphia city officials said the beatings were “unacceptable,” and added that the policemen were still emotional after the slaying of a sergeant last week. Authorities apparently considered this to be a mitigating circumstance.

“We certainly are concerned about what we saw on the tape. The matter is being taken very seriously, even though emotions run very high in our department right now, because we just had our third officer killed in the last two years ... obviously, that puts a lot of stress and pressure on the officers. But having said that, we do expect them to maintain a standard of conduct on the street that is above reproach,” Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey told Wednesday afternoon, according to CNN.

The video was shot Monday night by WTXF-TV. It shows three police cars stopping a car on the side of a road and about 12 officers gathering around the vehicle and pulling out three men. Two of the men are held down by 6 policemen and are kicked and punched over and over again. The third man ends up like the other two.

Ramsey earlier said that the police officers saw the suspects firing shots and injuring three people standing on a street corner.

A sergeant and five officers have been removed from street duty in connection with the incident so far.

Authorities continue their investigation to identify the officers on the tape.