Body cam video of Louisiana troopers arresting Aaron Bowman
A graphic body camera video that has been kept secret for over two years reveals a Louisiana State Police trooper battering a Black driver 18 times with a flashlight — an attack the trooper justified as “pain compliance”, according to CBS News.
Aaron Larry Bowman, 46, was attacked in May 2019 and suffered a broken jaw, three broken ribs, a broken wrist, and a gash to his head that required six staples to close.
Investigators believe Brown purposefully attempted to conceal the body camera footage. Keith Whiddon, Bowman’s defense attorney, reinforced the claim, and said he was originally told there’s no body-camera footage of the incident.
According to a statement issued by the state police on Wednesday, Jacob Brown, the white trooper who attacked Bowman, “engaged in excessive and unjustifiable actions,” refused to disclose the use of force to his superiors, and “intentionally mislabeled” his body cam footage.
According to state police records, before resigning in March, Brown had 23 use-of-force incidents dating back to 2015, with 19 of them targeting Black people.
In addition to the federal investigation, Brown is facing state charges of second-degree battery and malfeasance in connection with Bowman’s beating, according to CBS42.
