When news of Martese Johnson's bloody arrest broke, there were reports he was drunk and presenting a fake ID to get into a bar.

People who know Johnson, 20, are saying that cannot be true, at least not entirely. Like many, they want to know how the University of Virginia (UVA) student wound up on the ground, bleeding from a head wound and under arrest.

Joshua Kinlaw, Johnson's roommate, told ABC News it is common for UVA students to try to gain entry to local bars, even if they are not quite 21 yet. He also said outright Johnson "does not own a fake ID."

"There is nothing he could've said or done that could provoke an officer of the law to assault him in such a manner," Kinlaw said. "So the ID that he actually showed to both the bouncer and to the ABC [Alcoholic Beverage Control] officers was his real ID. Now because the age on that ID shows him to be 20 years old, I think that's when dispute and discrepancies came in."

Johnson's attorney, Daniel Watkins, also refuted the report about the young student brandishing a fake ID. Watkins told ABC News he will be fighting the charges against his client as well; they include public intoxication and resisting arresting.

"I trust that the scars on my face and head will heal but the trauma from what the ABC officers did will stay with me forever," Watkins said on behalf of his client.

Photos and video of Johnson's arrest went viral, but neither showed what led to the ABC officers cuffing the student while he lay on the ground with a gash on his head. Va. Gov. Terry McAuliffe since ordered a review of the incident to determine if the officers used excessive force in the arrest, the Associated Press reported.

"We owe it to both Mr. Johnson and the Virginia ABC to be painstakingly thorough in determining the facts of the situation through interviews, evidence collection and analysis, and investigative procedure," Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty said in a written statement obtained by the AP.

The UVA community is taking a calculated approach to addressing another instance of clashing between law enforcement officers and a young, unarmed black man. The school's Student Council has organized an open forum on campus for Friday afternoon, welcoming the state's law enforcement to join.