A fight involving two young black men and off-duty police officers has triggered accusations of racism and brutality in the small community of Digby, N.S.

Nathaniel Fells, 19, said he and his friend William Drummond, 20, were outside a bar around 2 a.m. on June 22 when an off-duty officer in a van allegedly called them "niggers."

"Me and (William) stopped and said, 'what did you just say?' He said, 'you heard me,'" Fells told CTV Atlantic in an interview on Monday. "He says, 'You don't want none of me, we're too deep.'"

Fells said the van's doors then slid open, and out came a dozen off-duty officers. The officers were reportedly visiting the area for a charity event.

Fells also alleged that on-duty RCMP officers from the local detachment -- who were apparently watching the incident from two patrol cars nearby -- did little to protect them. He said while he and Drummond were trying to back away from the fight, the off-duty officers "kept coming."

"So when the guy swung, he swung the first time and he missed -- and he went to hit again, and that's when (William) hit him with a left, and that was it."

Drummond has admitted that he hit and knocked out one of the officers, but said he was only acting in self defence.

Fells alleged it was only when the off-duty officer went down that the on-duty RCMP officers got out of their cars and acted.

Fells said he pleaded for protection from the on-duty officers, but they offered no assistance.

Police have acknowledged that Drummond was wrestled to the ground by local officers, and was hit with a jolt from a stun gun.

Drummond and Fells were arrested and taken to the local police station, but no charges were laid in the incident.

Staff Sgt. Phil Barrett of the Digby RCMP told CTV Atlantic the officers involved were from the RCMP, Halifax Regional Police and New Glasgow Police Services.

While he said he was "disappointed" with what occurred, he stands by the actions of the on-duty RCMP officers, saying they "acted professionally."

Barrett also told The Canadian Press that he and members of the race relations committee have viewed a video of the incident three times, and that he found some evidence that confirms the account given by Fells. But he said he hasn't been able to confirm if the alleged racial slur was made because the video does not have an audio track.

Const. Jeff Carr, a spokesperson for Halifax Regional police, said the officers from the Halifax force did nothing wrong.

"Some of them (police officers) were downtown when a disturbance occurred, and one of our members was injured during the disturbance," Carr told The Canadian Press  "It's our understanding of this incident that no Halifax regional police member acted in an inappropriate manner."

RCMP spokesperson Joe Taplin said his force is investigating the actions of its off-duty officers. The actions of a member of the New Glasgow police force are also being examined.

With a report from CTV Atlantic's Rick Grant