Alleged brutal flashlight beating ends in indictment for former La. trooper

SHREVEPORT, La. (WAFB) - A grand jury convened in Shreveport, La. has determined enough evidence exists to indict former Louisiana State Police trooper Jacob Brown for using excessive force during a 2019 arrest in Monroe, La.

The Justice Department announced the indictment Thursday, September 23, 2021.

Brown faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, if convicted of beating the arrestee, Aaron Bowman.

Part of Bowman’s arrest was captured on home surveillance video. In addition, court records obtained by the 9News Investigators state Brown beat Bowman 18 times in 24 seconds using a flashlight while cursing at him during that arrest.

“Every time I got ready to speak, he would hit me with the flashlight,” said Bowman in an interview after the incident.

The indictment states the flashlight used to strike Bowman had been strengthened with a metal tactical cap designed for breaking glass.

“It’s supposed to be used to break glass but according to the quote unquote pain compliance which was his excuse and LSP’s excuse for not initially punishing Jacob Brown, to use something to break someone’s skull that is supposed to be used for glass just shows you how heartless, how callous and how calculating this was,” said attorney Ron Haley who is representing Bowman in an excessive force lawsuit.

RELATED: LSP Trooper resigns after allegedly beating man with excessive force, sources confirm

It was that civil lawsuit that led to the first acknowledgment of Brown’s alleged behavior by Louisiana State Police leaders, a year after the incident happened.

An LSP spokesman said the agency began investigating after it received the lawsuit in October, at which point Brown’s involvement was discovered.

“Today was the first time I’ve heard and saw Aaron with tears of happiness as his cries for help and his cries for justice have finally been heard. Two years is too long considering the obvious abuse suffered by Aaron Bowman but two years is never too late for justice,” said Haley.

RELATED: ‘Pain compliance’: Video shows Louisiana State Police trooper pummeling Black motorist

Brown was later charged with aggravated second-degree battery and malfeasance in office in connection with the incident in December of 2020. Brown resigned from his role the following March.

A spokesman for Louisiana State Police release issued a statement in response to the indictment.

Part of that statement says, “The actions of Brown and others charged by LSP in excessive force incidents undermines the public trust earned by the exemplary work of our dedicated men and women. Any instance of unjustifiable use of force jeopardizes public safety and is a danger to our communities. These actions are inexcusable and have no place in professional public safety services.

Over the last eleven months, LSP has and continues to make fundamental improvements to our operations, training, and administration leading to the implementation of critical changes throughout the department and progress towards building trust within the communities we serve.

LSP continues to offer our full cooperation in the ongoing investigations and legal proceedings.”

Investigations into the beating, and other incidents reported within the Louisiana State Police organization, remain ongoing.

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