Ex-Louisiana Cop Gets Light Sentence For Tasing, Beating And Pistol-Whipping ‘Nonviolent’ Black Man
Source: Shreveport Police Department
A former police officer in Louisiana was given what appeared to be a light and lenient sentence for an egregious case of brutality against an unarmed Black man who federal officials said posed no physical threat to law enforcement during the violence that took place more than four years ago.
Dylan Hudson was sentenced on Thursday to less than two years in prison for his blatant brutality toward Markeil Tyson, who was “repeatedly” assaulted by the then-officer for allegedly trespassing and loitering at a liquor store in Shreveport on Aug. 5, 2019.
“Hudson punched Markeil Tyson in the face, kneed him in the stomach, tased and pistol-whipped him in the head, slammed his head in the ground and kicked him in the face. Tyson was not considered armed and dangerous,” local news outlet KTBS reported.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division called the brutality “grossly excessive, inhumane and potentially fatal.”
The evidence at trial established that Hudson physically assaulted a loitering suspect during a daytime arrest in Shreveport. During the arrest, Hudson repeatedly struck the suspect in the head and face. The conduct showed by police body-worn cameras included several potentially deadly uses of force, including striking the man in the head with a loaded pistol, tasing him at the base of the skull and kicking him in the face.
Despite that level of severity, Hudson, 37, was sentenced to just 21 months in prison and three years of supervised release once his four-day trial concluded.
Graphic video and images from the police violence show the extent of the brutality Hudson extended toward Tyson, who was left bloodied and swollen from his injuries.
The video footage below should be viewed with discretion.
Tyson died in an unrelated car accident last month.
Justice for Hudson was delayed after his first trial ended nearly a year ago in a mistrial.
The DOJ touted Hudson’s sentencing even though it appeared to fall short of sentencing guidelines.
“The defendant’s conduct was not representative of the oath he once swore to uphold as a law enforcement officer,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown for the Western District of Louisiana. “When the federal government learns of such egregious conduct and we feel criminal civil rights charges can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, we will seek to hold those responsible accountable with an ancillary goal of restoring, and in some cases establishing, public trust in state, local and federal law enforcement.”
This is America.
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