Four Louisiana state police officers were arrested after an investigation into allegations of excessive use of force for two years, the department announced on Monday.
Soldiers, Jacob Brown, 30, Dakota DeMoss, 28, Randall Dickerson, 34, and George Harper, 26, face simple assault and malfeasance on office charges, according to ABC News. Brown also faces an additional charge of obstructing justice, police said.
Brown and Dickerson’s accusations stem from a traffic stop in July 2019, during which they allegedly “used excessive and unjustifiable force” to handcuff a driver suspected of being in possession of drugs, disabled body cameras and lied to investigators about the amount of resistance they encountered when making the arrest.
During a second incident in May 2020, DeMoss, Harper and Brown used excessive force during a car chase in Franklin Parish. There, the police would also have turned off the body cameras during the chase. Police investigators say Brown separately falsified the use of force and arrest reports.
All four police officers were arrested on Monday.
“The unjustified use of force by our people is inexcusable and tarnishes the exemplary work of our dedicated men and women in the Department of Public Security,” said Colonel Superintendent Lamar Davis in a statement.
“I commend our investigative team for their diligence and professionalism during this investigation,” added Davis. “Our agency remains committed to maintaining public trust and providing professional, fair and compassionate public security services.”