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Former Louisiana trooper charged in beating of Black motorist

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An ex-Louisiana State Police trooper was charged Thursday with violating the civil rights of a Black motorist by pounding him 18 times with a tactical flashlight during a traffic stop, reports NBC News.

The grand jury indictment of Jacob Brown in the assault on Aaron Larry Bowman in 2019 was the first criminal case to emerge from the federal investigation into the beatings of several Black motorists by members of a mostly White State Police unit known as Troop F.

Brown, 31, was charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander Van Hook of the Western District of Louisiana and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement.

He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if he is convicted, the prosecutors said.

Bowman, 46, wound up in the hospital with a broken jaw, busted ribs and a head gash. His attorney, Donecia Banks-Miley, said the indictment was “a sigh of relief.”

“We’re just trying to remain hopeful and trust the process of justice,” she told the Associated Press. “Aaron is extremely happy, and he just wants full justice.”

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