PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A magistrate denied warrants against a Portsmouth City Council member who was arrested Tuesday for domestic assault and battery, police said.

Councilman De’Andre Barnes was arrested after a citizen claimed he saw him drag a woman into a car, according to police. However, police say the warrants were dismissed and he was released from custody.

It all happened after a citizen called the police around 7:45. The citizen claimed he saw a “black woman with a backpack screaming while being dragged by a black man,” police said. The citizen also claimed that the man forcibly pulled the woman into a vehicle.

Police say they arrested Barnes after interviewing everyone involved, including an independent witness.

Following his arrest, police say they turned over evidence to the magistrate to obtain an arrest warrant. After the magistrate dismissed the warrant, Barnes was released from custody.