Ex-Louisiana Cop Charged For Beating Black Man With A Flashlight 18 Times
Source: AP / Youtube
An ex-Louisiana state police officer was indicted by a grand jury for beating a Black man 18 times with a flashlight in Monroe, Louisiana.
According to officials Jacob Brown repeatedly struck Larry Bowman with his flashlight after a routine traffic stop. Bowman was left with a broken jaw, broken ribs, and a gashed forehead.
Brown, who didn’t arrive on the scene until after Bowman was removed from his car and taken to the ground. Video then shows Brown hit Bowman 18 times with his flashlight, lasting 24 seconds. Brown would later tell officials that Bowman struck another officer and that he hit him repeatedly to get him into handcuffs. The video shows this was a lie as there was no instance of Bowman striking an officer. Bowman was initially pulled over for improper lane usage, a harmless traffic offense.
After the incident, Brown was charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law.
Capt. Nick Manale, a state police spokesman, condemned Brown’s actions calling them unjustifiable. “Brown engaged in excessive and unjustifiable actions and failed to report the use of force to his supervisors,” he said.
The Louisiana State Police are also under federal investigation for the beatings of at least two other Black men. Ronald Greene was killed by Louisiana state troopers after a high-speed chase had gone awry. Body cam from the incident shows troopers stunning, punching, and dragging Greene until he is visibly injured.
According to the Associated Press, a dozen cases over the past decade found troopers or their bosses ignored or concealed evidence of beatings, deflected blame, and impeded efforts to root out misconduct. The investigations are ongoing. Brown also has a history of violence against Blacks while on the job. According to AP, Brown has 23 uses of force dating back to 2015, 19 of which were on Black people. He also faces state charges stemming from two other violent arrests of Black motorists.
Bowman still faces a heap of charges including the battery of a police officer, resisting an officer, and improper lane usage.
Check out the video from the body cam below:
SEE ALSO:
Young Black Man Viciously Beaten By Police In Georgia: Report
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