Troopers Jacob Brown, Dakota DeMoss and George “Kam” Harper were charged last week in the 2020 arrest of Antonio Harris.
Highlights
- State prosecutors have charged three former Louisiana State Police troopers accused of beating a Black motorist.
- They are accused of hoisting him to his feet by his hair braids and bragging in text messages that the “whoopin” would give him “nightmares for a long time.” The misdemeanor simple battery charges in the 2020 arrest of Antonio Harris come amid mounting scrutiny of the state’s premier law enforcement agency over allegations of excessive force.
- Federal prosecutors for months have been investigating whether the troopers used excessive force, but it remains unclear whether the Justice Department intends to move forward with a civil rights case.
- The prosecution comes as a federal grand jury in Lafayette has been hearing testimony in the same case.