Violence continues to escalate in Colombia as the government resorts to heavy-handed crackdowns in an attempt to quell widespread rioting that was spurred by a proposal to significantly raise taxes on the already-financially strapped middle class.

The Colombian government is claiming the mass riots are unjustified and actually the responsibility of FARC guerrillas intending to sew unrest across the nation. Dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries have been reported. The use of firearms by both sides is also being reported. In addition to beatings and shootings, videos on social media show houses being burnt to the ground, reportedly at the hands of the police. The government has even called in the military to gain control of the situation.

This video shows a man, likely a rioter, being separated from the group and is run down and severely beaten by the police officers. They strike him repeatedly in the head with batons and kick him in the face. They don't arrest him for his alleged crimes, however, as they just hop back on their motorcycles and go looking for their next target. The man appears to have survived the beating, but the seriousness of his injuries are unclear.