In footage obtained and published by the Associated Press on Wednesday, Louisiana State Police trooper Jacob Brown was caught on body camera footage beating Black motorist Aaron Larry Bowman with a flashlight during a traffic stop in May 2019.
Bowman was struck with a flashlight 18 times by the white now-former officer after he was forcibly removed from his car. Bowman was left with a broken jaw, three broken ribs, a broken wrist and a gash to his head, according to AP. The video had been kept secret for more than two years, AP notes.
From AP:
On the night Bowman was pulled over for a traffic violation, Brown came upon the scene after deputies had forcibly removed Bowman from his vehicle and taken him to the ground. The trooper later told investigators he “was in the area and was trying to get involved.”
Wielding an 8-inch aluminum flashlight reinforced with a pointed end to shatter car glass, Brown jumped out of his state police vehicle and began bashing Bowman on his head and body within two seconds of “initial contact” — unleashing 18 strikes in 24 seconds, detectives wrote in an investigative report.
“Give me your f——— hands!” the trooper shouted. “I ain’t messing with you.”
Bowman tried to explain several times that he was a dialysis patient, had done nothing wrong and wasn’t resisting, saying, “I’m not fighting you, you’re fighting me.”
Brown responded with: “Shut the f—- up!” and “You ain’t listening.”
Bowman later can be heard moaning, still on the ground. “I’m bleeding!” he said. “They hit me in the head with a flashlight!”
Source: Newly Released Bodycam Video Catches Louisiana Trooper Violently Beating a Black Man With Flashlight
