This verse is a continuation of the sentence begun in the preceding verse; the pronoun with which it begins, “who,” is an obvious reference to the commander, and the Good News Translation has made this explicit. Luke’s phrase “soldiers and centurions” (so most translations) is understood by the commentators to mean officers and soldiers (see An American Translation* “officers and men” and Moffatt “soldiers and officers”). “On them” of the Greek text is explained by the Good News Translation as meaning to the crowd (see Jerusalem Bible “down on the crowd”) and by the New English Bible as “down on the rioters.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .