From [HERE] (AP) — A case involving a 19-year-old Black college student who was beaten after he questioned officers' authority to search the trunk of his car is now the subject of an FBI investigation, authorities said Monday.

The Jan. 15, 2009, case involving Alex Landau is one of several high-profile cases that have raised questions about the Denver police department's policies and procedures and prompted calls for a federal civil rights investigation. The officers involved were cleared of any wrongdoing by the police department and no state criminal charges were filed against the officers. The city settled the case for $795,000 after Landau filed a lawsuit alleging the beating left him brain damaged.

Denver Police Chief Robert White and Manager of Safety Alex Martinez in a joint statement said the FBI investigation centers on whether Landau's civil rights were violated by the officers involved. The department's policies and procedures are not the target, White and Martinez said. 

The original lawsuit accused the officers of stopping Landau, 19, after midnight on Jan. 15, 2009, for making an illegal turn, then calling him "nigger" and beating his face and head with their fists, a radio and a flashlight until he was unconscious.