Cellphone video captured by a father as he watched his son, Yugeshwar Gaindarpersaud, being restrained by a police officer has spread across the community.

“I said 'take off your foot of his neck.' I said it nearly 25 times,” said Yugeshwar's father, Jaindra Gaindarpersaud.

Yugeshwar can be seen in the video as the Schenectady police officer places his knee on Yugeshwar’s head and neck.

“He was smashing my head into the concrete. I couldn’t move; I couldn’t do nothing,” said Yugeshwar.

Schenectady Police say they went to Yugeshwar’s home on Brandywine Avenue early that morning after a neighbor accused him of damaging their car tires. The neighbor also told officers he had video surveillance to prove it.

“[The officer] said 'I have video of you.' So I told him 'go ahead and show me the video,' ” said Yugeshwar.

Yugeshwar said that’s when the officer tried to place him under arrest, and the altercation was caught on camera by his dad.

“When I had seen him, I said 'the same thing that happened to George Floyd is going to happen to my son.' They’re going to kill him just like that,” said Jaindra.

Yugeshwar sustained visible injuries from the encounter to his head and neck. He claims he passed out in the back of the squad car and later woke in the hospital.

Protesters gathered outside the Schenectady Police Department on Monday, standing with Yugeshwar to demand police reform.

“All in all, they need to just change everything in general,” said organizer Legacy Casanova.

Demonstrators were at the police headquarters not more than a few weeks ago, as police took a knee in solidarity against the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd, who died while in a similar police restraint. Organizers say police gestures are no longer good enough.

“He was doing what he wanted just to appease us,” said Casanova.

“It just goes to show the police department needs more work,” said protester Shaqueena Charles.

Schenectady Police released a statement saying in part, “The department has been made aware of a video circulating on social media partially depicting the incident. The incident in its entirety is currently being reviewed by the Schenectady Police Department’s Office of Professional Standards.”

Schenectady Police did charge Yugeshwar with criminal mischief and resisting arrest. Regardless, protesters say they showed up to make sure Yugeshwar’s voice was heard.