LOUISIANA
Three police officers with the Shreveport Police Department were indicted Friday on federal civil rights charges, according to officials.
Treveion Brooks, 26; William Isenhour, 25; and D’Andre Jackson, 25, are charged with deprivation of rights under color of law.
According to information released by the Caddo District Attorney James Stewart and KTBS 3 ABC news reports, the officers were involved in a traffic stop of Chico Bell, 40, of Shreveport, and his passenger, Damon Robinson, 44, of Bethany. The officers attempted to stop the two for seat belt violations, but they did not yield to the officers’ lights and sirens.
The officers pursued Bell’s pickup truck and the police unit video shows Bell throwing several items from the window. A Caddo Parish sheriff’s deputy assisted in the pursuit and his dashcam was recording as the traffic stop ended on Linwood Avenue, according to news reports.
Dash cameras show that after stopping, Bell and Robinson raised their hands, and then stuck both hands up out of the windows of the truck, in an apparent attempt to surrender without resistance, the D.A.’s office said.
SPD officers and the deputy approached the truck and SPD officers pulled Bell out of the truck through the driver’s window. While doing so, SPD officers began striking, kicking, and tasing him to the torso and other areas of his body.
According to medical records, Bell suffered injuries, including a broken orbital plate, according to the district attorney and news reports.
A SPD officer punched the passenger, Robinson, multiple times through the open truck window, while Robinson’s hands were being held by other officers. SPD officers then took Robinson to the ground, where one officer apparently struck him in the face with a flashlight, despite Robinson’s hands being behind his back, the D.A. said, KTBS reports indicate.
Robinson’s nose was broken in several places. The Caddo deputy noted that Robinson was compliant during the police encounter and offered no resistance. The Caddo deputy’s body and dash camera video confirmed his assessment, Stewart said.
SPD officers reported that they recovered items thrown from the vehicle: very small amounts of ecstasy, cocaine and a stolen gun that was found the next day along the route of the chase.
Police arrested Bell and Robinson, but Stewart dismissed the charges because of the “unnecessary excessive force” used in the arrest, according to KTBS ABC reports.
Brooks, Isenhour, and Jackson are scheduled for trial on the malfeasance charge on Nov. 15 in Caddo District Court. They’ve opted for trial by the judge; no jury. A conviction carries a sentence of up to five years.