Louisiana state trooper indicted for beating Black motorist

A grand jury indicted a notoriously violent former Louisiana police officer on Thursday for the beating of a Black motorist in 2019 that left the man with a broken jaw and broken ribs.

According to a Department of Justice (DOJ) statement,  Jacob Brown, 31, was charged with a single count of deprivation of rights under color of law.

The indictment comes after the Associated Press obtained and published the video of Brown beating Aaron Larry Bowman with a flashlight as part of an investigation into a culture of coverups within Louisiana State Police. 

The flashlight had a metal tactical cap, used for breaking glass windows, according to the DOJ. 

 The DOJ has opened broader criminal investigations into the Louisiana State Police over incidents that resulted in death or bodily injury to arrestees.

Brown could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release if convicted in the case. He could also be fined up to $250,000 fine as well, the statement noted.

Brown’s attorney, Scott Wolleson, declined to comment to the AP on Thursday Louisiana State Police previously released a statement saying he “engaged in excessive and unjustifiable actions and failed to report the use of force to his supervisors.”

The AP wrote that Brown was “perhaps the Louisiana State Police’s most prolifically violent trooper in recent years,” having amassed 23 uses of force since 2015, 19 on Black people. He faces state charges in two other violent arrests of Black motorists.