UVA student Martese Johnson speaks out after charges dropped

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Obstruction of justice charges were dropped against Martese Johnson, the University of Virginia undergraduate from Chicago who was roughed up by police.

Prosecutors in Charlottesville said Friday that their community would not be served by further prosecution. That was music to the ears of the 20-year-old South Sider who was bloodied in the melee outside a campus bar in March.

On March 18, 2015, Johnson says he was trying to enter a bar to be with his friends as the law allows. He told a hearing that he was not drunk and did not resist arrest when he was taken down by three police officers outside the UVA bar called Trinity. On Friday morning, he was gratified charges were dropped.

"I think that after two to three months of being able to process things and understand what this situation was, I am happy that it happened," Johnson said.

Johnson told ABC News problems began when he incorrectly recited the zip code on an old but authentic ID he was using to get into the bar. He and the bar owner say they spoke cordially at that time, but as Johnson reached into his pocket, three officers took him down hard to the pavement. He says racism figured into the police reaction to him that night, and the subsequent charges.

After a review of the evidence by the Virginia state police, prosecutors concluded: "...that the interest of justice and the long term interest of the Charlottesville community are best served by using this case as an opportunity to engage ordinary citizens, law enforcement officers, and public officials in constructive dialogue concerning police and citizen relationships in a diverse community."

"It was a large moment of injustice in my opinion, but I think that injustice is going to fuel something that is so much more beautiful and powerful within our community but also throughout our entire nation," Johnson said.

In reaching this decision, the commonwealth also found that the evidence did not warrant criminal charges against law enforcement officers who were involved in the events of March 18.