Graphic body camera video showing a Louisiana State Police trooper strike a black man with a flashlight 18 times in 24 seconds following a traffic stop has been released after being kept secret for more than two years.
The May 2019 attack left Aaron Larry Bowman, 46, with a broken jaw, three broken ribs, a broken wrist and a gash to his head that required six staples to close.
Trooper Jacob Brown, 31, who is white, defended the beating as 'pain compliance,' although video shows Bowman yelling: 'I'm not resisting! I'm not resisting!'
Investigators argue that Brown intentionally attempted to hide the body camera footage. Bowman's defense attorney, Keith Whiddon, echoed the assertion, saying he was initially told there was no body-camera video of the incident.
The attack on Bowman came less than three weeks after state troopers punched, stunned and dragged another black motorist, Ronald Greene, before he died in police custody.
Federal prosecutors are examining both cases as part of a widening investigation into police brutality and potential cover-ups involving the department.
Graphic body camera video showing a Louisiana State Police trooper strike a Black man with a flash light 18 times in 24 seconds following a traffic stop has been released after being kept secret for more than two years
The video shows trooper Jacob Brown strike Aaron Bowman on his head and body with an 8-inch aluminum flashlight that had been reinforced with a pointed end to shatter car glass within two seconds of 'initial contact'
The newly-released video shows Brown exit his vehicle and approach deputies who had forcibly removed Bowman from his vehicle and taken him to the ground during a traffic stop.
Within two seconds of 'initial contact' Brown apparently struck Bowman on his head and body with an 8-inch aluminum flashlight that had been reinforced with a pointed end to shatter car glass.
'Give me your f------ hands! I ain't messing with you,' Brown is heard shouting.
Bowman tried to explain several times that he was a dialysis patient, had done nothing wrong and wasn't resisting.
'I'm not fighting you, you're fighting me,' Bowman told the officers.
Brown responded with: 'Shut the f-- up!' and 'You ain´t listening.'
The trooper unleashed 18 strikes in 24 seconds, according to the investigative report. Brown claimed Bowman had struck a deputy and that the blows were 'pain compliance' intended to get him into handcuffs.
Bowman, who hadn't seen the footage until recently when prosecutors from the U.S. Justice Department showed it to him and his attorney, said watching the footage was 'like reliving it all over again'.
'I kept thinking I was going to die that night,' Bowman explained. 'By watching it, I broke down all over again. I don´t want nobody to go through that.'
Investigators reviewed the video months after the incident and determined Brown's use of force was not reasonable or necessary. They also claimed the trooper failed to report his use of force and mislabeled his footage as a 'citizen encounter' in what investigators called 'an intentional attempt to hide the video from any administrative review.'
The newly-released video shows Brown exit his vehicle and approach deputies who had forcibly removed Bowman from his vehicle and taken him to the ground during a traffic stop
Aaron Bowman was left with a broken jaw, three broken ribs, a broken wrist and a gash to his head that required six staples to close
Brown, who resigned in March, had tallied 23 use-of-force incidents dating to 2015 - 19 of them targeting black people, according to state police records.
He was arrested in December 2020 for his role in Bowman's beating. He faces state charges of second-degree battery and malfeasance.
He also faces state charges in two other violent arrests of Black motorists, including one he boasted about last year in a group chat with other troopers, saying the suspect is 'gonna be sore' and 'it warms my heart knowing we could educate that young man.'
Robert Tew, District Attorney of Ouachita and Morehouse Parishes, declined to comment on Brown's case.
'We'll see what the DOJ has to do,' he told reporters.
Brown also did not respond to requests for comment.
Bowman, who has denied hitting anyone and is not seen on the video being violent with officers, also faces a list of charges, including battery of a police officer, resisting an officer and the traffic violation for which he was initially stopped, improper lane usage.
Brown defended the beating as 'pain compliance,' although video shows Bowman yelling: 'I'm not resisting! I'm not resisting!'
Brown was arrested in December 2020 for his role in Bowman's beating. He faces state charges of second-degree battery and malfeasance
Bowman also faces a list of charges, including battery of a police officer, resisting an officer and the traffic violation for which he was initially stopped, improper lane usage
Louisiana state police did not launch an investigation into the attack on Bowman until 536 days after it occurred - and after Bowman brought a civil lawsuit.
When questioned about the delayed investigation last winter, Louisiana State Police Superintendent Colonel Lamar Davis told the News Star:
'Upon learning of the allegations, our department began an immediate investigation into the incident. The public trust and responsibility bestowed upon us as law enforcement professionals is of the utmost importance. We owe not only the public we serve, but also the dedicated men and women of our department a just and timely response.'
The investigation into Bowman's attack comes as a secret internal panel launched a probe following the death of Ronald Greene, 49, in police custody in May 2019.
Greene was arrested after he eluded a stop for a traffic violation and led troopers on a chase at speeds topping 115 mph, officials said.
Police initially told Greene's relatives that he died from a crash at the end of the chase.
Video taken from Trooper Dakota DeMoss' body camera shows the violent of arrest of Greene on May 10, 2019. Louisiana State Police initially reported that he had died in a car crash
This image from video from Louisiana state trooper Lt. John Clary's body-worn camera shows trooper Kory York standing over Ronald Greene on his stomach
Ronald Greene was arrested in May 2019 after he allegedly eluded a stop for a traffic violation and led troopers on a chase at speeds topping 115 mph
It took 474 days for state police to launch an internal inquiry. For more than two years, officials refused to release body camera video from the incident, which showed officers punching and dragging Greene, as well as using a Taser on him.
The footage also showed Greene leading police on a high-speed chase, then crashing his car. An autopsy revealed that he had alcohol and cocaine in his system. He also suffered multiple injuries from the crash, as well as injuries from a physical struggle.
No troopers have been charged in Greene's arrest.
The seven-member internal panel is investigating whether Louisiana State Police officers are systematically targeting Black motorists for abuse.
Officials are reviewing thousands of bodycam videos from the past two years involving a dozen troopers, at least four a whom were involved in Greene's death, and are looking for signs of excessive force and examining whether troopers showed racist tendencies and whether they used means to hide evidence.
Ron Haley, an attorney for Greene's family, who met with federal authorities last month told the Associated Press the investigation goes 'far beyond just use of force'.
'They're casting a very wide net,' said Haley.
