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Seven minutes of camera footage worn on the officer’s body during the May 2019 incident was recently turned over to lawyers for motorist Aaron Larry Bowman, pursuant to a court order last week. CNN obtained a copy of the video from Bowman’s attorneys on Wednesday.
The soldier in the video, Jacob Brown, was charged in December with second-degree aggravated battery and malfeasance in the line of duty. He did not file a plea. State prosecutors said the case remains on hold as federal investigators conduct their own investigation into Brown’s actions.
The Justice Department said the case was under a criminal investigation by the FBI, “with career prosecutors from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana and the Human Rights Division. civilians of the Ministry of Justice “.
Attempts to reach Brown were unsuccessful. He does not have a registered lawyer. Brown resigned from state police in March, according to a spokesperson.
Body camera footage of Bowman being beaten shows officers running towards other officers who have him on the ground, attempting to stop him. Body-worn camera footage shows Brown swinging what appears to be a flashlight and repeatedly punching Bowman while he is face down with his hands behind his head during part of the beating as he said to them: “I am not resisting.”
“Beating us is not going to help you bud,” said one officer.
“I’m not fighting you,” Bowman replies.
He is later heard moaning and saying, “They hit me on the head with a flashlight. I’m on dialysis, man, it hurt me. It hurt me. I didn’t. nothing.”
The Louisiana state police division where Brown worked, Troop F, is under investigation for possible abuse by soldiers against black motorists. This investigation followed the death of Ronald Greene, a black motorist who died after being beaten and tased in a car chase that began when Greene did not stop for the officers.
As part of the investigation, investigators are working to determine if there is a history of abuse in the interactions between F Troop soldiers and black people, two sources familiar with the process previously confirmed to CNN.
The video was first obtained by The Associated Press. What is known of the cases involving this unit within the Louisiana State Police is in large part the result of AP reports, which revealed various issues related to the conduct and cover-up of this unit. led by state soldiers.
According to court records, as a result of the beating, “(Bowman) suffered multiple lacerations” including “a cut at the top of his head, a fractured arm and broken ribs among other ailments.”
Ron Haley, one of Bowman’s attorneys, said Brown beat his client with an 8-inch aluminum flashlight. Brown hit him seconds after first contact and hit Bowman at least 18 times in 24 seconds, Haley said. CNN affiliate WBRZ reported that an arrest affidavit says Brown hit Bowman 18 times in about 24 seconds.
It was not immediately clear to lawyers or prosecutors for Bowman that camera footage worn on the body of the beating existed.
A Louisiana State Police statement said the agency found the footage after Bowman’s attorneys filed a complaint, adding that after investigators located the footage, they began administrative investigations and criminal.
State Police said that at the time of Brown’s arrest, “detectives learned that Brown had engaged in excessive and unjustifiable actions during the incident and had failed to report the incident. use of force to his supervisors “.
The result of the criminal investigation was turned over to the district attorney’s office and Brown was charged in December. Robert Tew, the district attorney for Monroe, said he would continue until the US Department of Justice decides to charge him with federal crimes.
Last week, a judge in Bowman’s criminal case ordered the video be turned over to Bowman’s lawyers.
“Before (the Brown investigation), no one knew about the body camera footage,” said Keith Whiddon, one of Bowman’s attorneys. “When my office heard about it, we filed our motion asking the state to turn it over, and the judge ordered it to be turned over in seven days.”
The incident began when a deputy from the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop Bowman, while using lights and sirens on his vehicle, according to an affidavit.
Members of that agency do not wear body cameras, according to the district attorney and defense attorney for Bowman.
Bowman fought with at least one of those MPs, according to an affidavit filed in the case against Bowman. According to the affidavit filed by an assistant in the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office, Bowman “started swinging his arms at me and screaming that he had done nothing wrong. (Bowman) then hit me. at the top of the head with a closed fist “.
Bowman disputed the police version of events in his civil action. He “claims that the published police report is fabricated and that some aspects of Deputy (Donovan) Ginn’s story are false.”
Bowman was charged with resisting arrest following the traffic stop. This file remains open.
CNN’s Evan Perez and Christina Carrega contributed to this report.
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