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Memphis authorities released video footage Friday showing Tyre Nichols being beaten by police officers who held the Black motorist down and repeatedly struck him with their fists, boots and batons as he screamed for his mother and pleaded, “I just want to go home.”

The video is filled with violent moments showing the officers, who are also Black, chasing and pummeling Nichols and leaving him on the pavement propped against a squad car as they fist-bumped and celebrated their actions.

The footage emerged one day after the officers were charged with murder in Nichols’ death. The chilling images of another Black man dying at the hands of police provoked tough questions about the nation's policing culture and raised the specter of renewed protests less than three years after a wave of demonstrations wracked the country.

The recordings shows police savagely beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes while screaming profanities at him throughout the attack. The Nichols family legal team has likened the assault to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King.

After the first officer roughly pulls Nichols out of a car, Nichols can be heard saying, “I didn't do anything,” as a group of officers begins to wrestle him to the ground.

“Get on the ground!," one officer yells, as another is heard yelling “Tase him! Tase him!”

Warning: The videos below are graphic in nature

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Nichols calmly replied soon after being wrestled to the pavement, “OK, I’m on the ground.” Moments later, as the officers continue to yell, Nichols says, “Man, I am on the ground.”

An officer yells, “Put your hands behind your back before I break your (expletive).” Moments later, an officer yells, “(Expletive), put your hands behind your back before I break them.”

“You guys are really doing a lot right now,” Nichols says loudly to the officers. “I’m just trying to go home.”

“Stop, I’m not doing anything,” he yells moment later.

The camera is briefly obscured, and then Nichols can be seen running as an officer fires a Taser at him. The officers then start chasing Nichols.

Other officers are called and a search ensues before Nichols is caught at another intersection. The officers beat him again, this time using a baton, kicking and punching him.

Security camera footage shows three officers surrounding Nichols as he lies in the street cornered between police cars, with a fourth officer nearby.

Two officers hold Nichols to the ground as he moves about, and then the third appears to kick him in the head. Nichols slumps more fully onto the pavement with all three officers surrounding him. The same officer kicks him again.

The fourth officer then walks over, unfurls a baton and holds it up at shoulder level as two officers hold Nichols upright as if he were sitting.

“I’m going to baton the [expletive] out of you,” one officer can be heard saying. His body camera shows him raise his baton while at least one other officer holds Nichols. The officer strikes Nichols on the back with the baton. He strikes him again, and then a third time.

Video below: CNN interviews Sanjay Gupta about Tyre Nichols' injuries and the slow medical response

The other officers then appear to hoist Nichols to his feet, with him flopping like a doll, barely able to stay upright despite the bracing arms.

An officer then punches him in the face, as the officer with the baton continues to menace him. Nichols stumbles and turns, still held up by two officers. The officer who punched him then walks around to Nichols’ front and punches him three more times. Then Nichols collapses.

Two officers can then be seen atop Nichols on the ground, with a third nearby, for about 40 seconds. Three more officers then run up and one can be seen kicking Nichols on the ground.

At one point, as Nichols is slumped up against a car and none of the officers are rendering aid, the body camera footage shows a first-person view of one of them reaching down and tying his shoe.

It takes more than 20 minutes after Nichols is beaten and on the pavement before any sort of medical attention is provided to him, even though two fire department officers arrived on the scene with medical equipment within 10 minutes.

Cities across the country braced for large demonstrations. Nichols’ relatives urged supporters to protest peacefully.

Memphis Police Director Cerelyn Davis described the officers' actions as “heinous, reckless and inhumane,” and said that her department has been unable to substantiate the reckless driving allegation that prompted the stop.

She told The Associated Press in an interview that there is no video of the traffic stop that shows Nichols recklessly driving.

During the initial stop, the video shows the officers were “already ramped up, at about a 10,” she said. The officers were “aggressive, loud, using profane language and probably scared Mr. Nichols from the very beginning.”

Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, warned supporters of the “horrific” nature of the video but pleaded for peace.

“I don’t want us burning up our city, tearing up the streets, because that’s not what my son stood for,” she said Thursday. “If you guys are here for me and Tyre, then you will protest peacefully.”

Speaking at the White House, President Joe Biden said Friday that he was “very concerned” about the prospect of violence and called for protests to remain peaceful.

Biden said he spoke with Nichols' mother earlier in the day and told her that he was going to be “making a case” to Congress to pass the George Floyd Act “to get this under control.” The legislation, which has been stalled, is meant to tackle police misconduct and excessive force and boost federal and state accountability efforts.

Video below: Biden urges peaceful protests following Tyre Nichols body cam footage release

FBI Director Christopher Wray said he was “appalled” by the video and that all FBI field officers have been alerted to work with state and local partners, including in Memphis, “in the event of something getting out of hand.”

Court records showed that all five former officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith — were taken into custody.

The officers each face charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Four of the five officers had posted bond and been released from custody by Friday morning, according to court and jail records.

Martin’s lawyer, William Massey, and Mills’ lawyer, Blake Ballin, said their clients would plead not guilty. Lawyers for Smith, Bean and Haley could not be reached.

“No one out there that night intended for Tyre Nichols to die,” Massey said.

Second-degree murder is punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison under Tennessee law.

Patrick Yoes, the national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, condemned the alleged actions of the Memphis officers.

“The event as described to us does not constitute legitimate police work or a traffic stop gone wrong. This is a criminal assault under the pretext of law," Yoes said in a statement.

Rallies and demonstrations were planned Friday night in Memphis, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York City, Portland, Oregon and Washington.

New York Mayor Eric Adams, a former police officer, said he and other mayors across the country had been briefed by the White House in advance of the video’s release, which he said would “trigger pain and sadness in many of us. It will make us angry.”

Antonio Romanucci and Ben Crump, attorneys for the Nichols' family, called on the police chief to disband the department’s so-called scorpion unit focused on street crime.

Nichols “at all times was an innocent victim,” Romanucci said Friday. "He did nothing wrong. He was caught up in a sting. This scorpion unit was designed to saturate under the guise of crime fighting, and what it wound up doing instead was creating a continual pattern and practice of bad behavior.”

Davis said other officers are still being investigated for violating department policy. In addition, she said “a complete and independent review” will be conducted of the department’s specialized units, without providing further details.

Two fire department workers were also removed from duty.

As state and federal investigations continue, Davis promised the police department’s “full and complete cooperation."

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Associated Press reporters Aaron Morrison in New York; Travis Loller in Nashville, Tennessee; and Rebecca Reynolds in Lexington, Kentucky, contributed to this report.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Friends of Tyre Nichols plan to hold a candlelight vigil in his honor on Monday at a Sacramento-area skate park.

Regency Community Skatepark in North Natomas is a place where his childhood friends say they shared a lot of memories while growing up in Sacramento.

"He was just such a genuine person and just such a good friend and to see that happen is, it's just very sad," said Nick Dragonetti, a friend who said he met Nichols at the skatepark when they were in middle school.

Jerome Neal also met Nichols at the skatepark, about 13 years ago.

"He was super sweet, super kind, very humble," Neal said.

The friends did not talk as frequently after Nichols moved to Memphis, Tennessee, but Neal reached out when he visited Memphis last October.

"He linked up with me at the skatepark, and he and I just skated for half the day. We hung out like it was old times. Didn't miss a beat," Neal said.

It was a little bit of time together that means a lot to him, especially now.

"That day was amazing, and now it keeps getting better due to the situation because I'll never have another one with him," Neal said.

The 29-year-old FedEx worker and father died on Jan. 10 after he was beaten by police officers during a traffic stop.

"It was so unbelievable. Our Tyre, the guy we loved. The guy that brought us so much good energy is just gone, just like that," Neal said.

The story has captured the nation's attention.

"A lot of skateboarders across the country feel for Tyre," Dragonetti said.

On social media, professional skateboarder Tony Hawk shared a video of Nichols skating.

Nichols often went to Regency Community Skatepark, where his friends plan to gather Monday night to remember him.

Neal said he will be there even though he was originally supposed to spend the week in Phoenix.

"I'm just canceling half my trip here and going to Sacramento. Something in my heart is telling me I need to be there. Simple as that," he said.

Former Memphis Police officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith all pleaded not guilty on Friday on second-degree murder charges following last month's death of Tyre Nichols.

They were fired and charged with second-degree murder and other crimes.

Nichols died three days after he was confronted by a group of Memphis Police officers following a traffic stop on Jan. 7.

The five officers faced a Tennessee judge on Friday for their arraignment.

Video of the incident prompted nationwide protests and calls for police reform. In four different clips, officers are seen spraying Nichols with what appears to be pepper spray, beating him with a baton and kicking him in the head.

Nichols remained on the ground for about 25 minutes without police or medical personnel addressing his injuries.

Nichols' face was beaten and bloodied.

Two additional deputies and two Memphis Police officers were disciplined by their departments, but not criminally charged.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. —

A lieutenant in the Memphis Police Department has now been identified as being at the scene after the arrest of Tyre Nichols, and according to police files obtained by CNN, chose to retire earlier this month prior to a disciplinary hearing on the case where he would have been fired.

In a letter from Feb. 28, notarized by the agency's Human Resources department, Lt. Dewayne Smith wrote, "It has been an honor to serve the city that I call my home for the past 25 years. During these years I have been blessed to some challenging assignments with some great people."

Previously, Smith had not been publicly identified as having been at the scene of the incident. He is alleged to have arrived at the scene and did not immediately "take command" in a supervisory role.

Smith had been with the department since 1998 and would have been the most senior officer at the scene.

In documents dated Jan. 27, a month before Smith's resignation, he was advised of the disciplinary charges against him and a hearing was set for March.

Smith has not been criminally charged in connection to Nichols' death.

Nichols, 29, was repeatedly punched and kicked by several Memphis police officers during a traffic stop on Jan. 7. He was hospitalized after the traffic stop and died three days later.

Five officers who were later fired from the department face criminal charges of second-degree murder, among others. They entered not guilty pleas in February and are due back in court in May.

Hearing says Smith failed in several responsibilities

The disciplinary hearing was held for Smith on March 2 in his absence and officials determined Smith should have been terminated for his role on the day of Nichols' beating.

In a police department statement of disciplinary charges document dated March 10, Smith is alleged to have "failed to obtain pertinent information from officers involved in a critical use of force incident."

"You did not ask important questions such as the amount or type of force used by each of your officers involved that would have assisted in a prompt and thorough scene investigation...," the document says.

The document goes on to say that in his statement to investigators, Smith "did not provide or suggest immediate medical aid" despite seeing blood coming from Nichols' face.

"Directly upon your arrival, you were told officers pepper sprayed and tased the subject, but you never asked why blood was on his face. At approximately 20:44 hours and after you arrived, the victim said 'I can't breathe' before he slumped over while still in handcuffs. You failed to direct any officer to remove the cuffs in order for the first emergency medical personnel to provide initial care."

The document alleges Smith questioned Nichols as his medical condition worsened "and only concluded his behavior was a result of intoxicants by saying 'You done took something, mane,'" the document reads.

According to the documents, Smith had been charged with neglect of duty, unauthorized public statements, and compliance with regulations. The documents also reveal that Smith spoke with family members of Nichols, along with another officer.

"You can be heard on another officer's body camera telling family members that the subject was in custody for D.U.I. You did not obtain enough information on the scene to confirm those criminal charges and there was no arrest documentation to support your assumption," the document says. "The limited details given to the family member can be perceived as an unsupported accusation or a method of deception and hindered public confidence."

The Daily Memphian was the first to report the story.

In his retirement letter, Smith said it "was not an easy decision. I came to realize that the time has come to move on."

CNN has reached out to the Memphis Police Association for comment.