Prosecutors dismiss charges against Louisiana troopers who bragged of beating a Black motorist

By JIM MUSTIAN
Associated Press

Louisiana prosecutors have quietly dismissed charges against state police troopers who were recorded beating a Black motorist. The violent 2020 arrest of Antonio Harris was among a series of beatings of Black men captured on body-camera video that prompted a sprawling federal investigation into use of force by the Louisiana State Police. In an interview Friday, District Attorney Penny Douciere did not explain the reason for the dismissals. State Police had called Harris’ arrest “inexcusable.” Bodycam video showed the troopers hoisting Harris to his feet by his hair braids before bragging in text messages that the “whoopin’” would give the man “nightmares for a long time.”