Former Louisiana state trooper charged with a civil rights violation for beating a Black man with a flashlight during a traffic stop

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Former Louisiana state trooper charged with a civil rights violation for beating a Black man with a flashlight during a traffic stop
This Sept. 25, 2020, file photo, shows a Louisiana State Police vehicle in Louisiana. AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis
  • 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 a traffic stop.
  • Bowman was left with a broken jaw, broken ribs, and a wound on his head following the incident.
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A former Louisiana State Police trooper has been charged with a civil rights violation in connection to a 2019 incident in which he repeatedly beat a Black man with a flashlight during a traffic stop.

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 told AP that he was left with a broken jaw, broken ribs, and a wound on his head following 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."

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Brown resigned from the Louisiana State Police in March 2021, according to a report from KNOE.

If convicted, Brown could face up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $25,000 federal prosecutors said.

Brown's charges are the first announced amid an ongoing investigation into the Louisiana State Police and arrests that resulted in injury or death, federal prosecutors said.

Another case being investigated is the death of Ronald Greene, who died in Louisiana State Police custody in 2019.

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.

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Warning: This video contains graphic footage.

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