Trooper Who Bludgeoned Black Dialysis Patient With Metal Flashlight Indicted For Excessive Violence

A former Louisiana State Police officer has been indicted on federal charges for using excessive force while placing a Black dialysis patient under arrest after repeatedly assaulting the victim using a metal flashlight in 2019.

The suspect, Jacob Brown, 31, has been charged Thursday on one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for the assault of Aaron Larry Bowman, a Black man, in May 2019, the Daily Beast reported.

As seen on body camera footage released earlier this year, Brown struck Bowman 18 times in the head with a flashlight used for breaking windows, deemed a dangerous weapon because it was modified with a metal cap.

The victim was reportedly stopped for an alleged traffic violation, which saw him being forcibly removed from his vehicle by other cops looking on, according to court documents.

After the arrestee allegedly resisted arrest and punched one of the officers, Brown got involved and hit Bowman using the metal flashlight. He contended that he was trying to ensure the safety of other police officers, justifying his actions as a form of “pain compliance.”

However, Bowman challenges the claims. He could be heard yelling in the May 30, 2019 body cam recording, “I’m not resisting!”

According to a civil lawsuit, the encounter left Bowman with a broken jaw, a broken wrist, three broken ribs, and a cut on his forehead, which required six staples. Further investigation would unravel that the arrestee is a dialysis patient.

“The department has previously acknowledged that it has open and ongoing criminal investigations into incidents involving the Louisiana State Police that resulted in death or bodily injury to arrestees,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a Thursday press release. “Those investigations remain ongoing.”

Law & Crime noted that Brown has already been hit with state charges of second-degree battery and malfeasance over Bowman's arrest.

He faces additional state charges in an earlier brutal arrest involving a Black motorist, during which allegedly bragged and defended his violence as a form of educating young offenders.

If convicted, the former state trooper could face up to 10 years in jail followed by three years of supervised release with a fine of up to $250,000.