- Former Louisiana State Police trooper Jacob Brown has been charged with a civil rights violation.
- Graphic video shows Brown beating Aaron Larry Bowman (a Black man) with a flashlight during an traffic stop.
- Bowman sustained a broken jaw and broken ribs as well as a cut on his head.
In connection with an incident that occurred in 2019, a former Louisiana State Police trooper was charged with a violation of civil rights. He beat a Black man repeatedly with a flashlight during traffic stops.
Former trooper Jacob Brown was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday and charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, federal prosecutors said in a press release.
The charges stem from the beating on May 30, 2019, in which Brown was seen on body camera footage hitting a man, identified by the Associated Press as Aaron Larry Bowman, with a flashlight.
Brown claimed that he suffered a broken jaw and broken ribs as well as a head injury after the incident.
Federal prosecutors said in the press release announcing the charge that Brown’s flashlight was modified with a “metal tactical cap designed for breaking glass.”
Brown resigned from the Louisiana State Police in March 2021, according to a report from KNOE.
Brown could be sentenced to up to 10 years imprisonment, three years of supervised freedom, and a maximum fine of $25,000 by federal prosecutors if he is convicted.
Federal prosecutors announced that Brown’s arrest is the first in a continuing investigation into the Louisiana State Police. They also said that there are other arrests that have led to injury or death.
The death of Ronald Greene in Louisiana State Police custody is another case under investigation.
A prior AP investigation found that there have been at least a dozen cases over the last decade in which troopers or their bosses ignored misconduct or concealed evidence of misconduct.