Louisiana Police Officers Suspended After Video Shows Them Beating Black Man Who Later Died in Custody

By Staff, Newsweek

Four police officers in Shreveport, Louisiana, involved in the arrest of African-American man Tommie McGlothen were suspended, according to a Monday statement by Shreveport Police Chief Ben Raymond.

McGlothen died while in the custody of the local police.

Officers arrested McGlothen in April on suspicions he had attempted to break into a vehicle. Witnesses said officers physically accosted McGlothen during the arrest, including hitting his head into the top of the police cruiser and teasing McGlothen multiple times.

Footage of the incident obtained by Louisiana television station KSLA appears to show Shreveport Police Department [SPD] officers striking McGlothen before and after handcuffing him.

"This matter is of great concern to me," said Chief Raymond in a Monday statement.

"All four officers involved in this matter have been placed on departmental leave pending the conclusion of an investigation," Raymond continued. "If the officers violated any of our policies, they will be disciplined accordingly."

Authorities released documentation about the McGlothen incident to Caddo Parish District Attorney James E. Stewart Sr.'s office more than 50 days after the occurrence. Stewart's office found the report to be incomplete.

"Upon our initial review of the files, we have found that they are missing reports, statements, downloads and other vital information that is essential to conduct a thorough and complete review," Stewart said Tuesday in a statement.

Protests against racism and police brutality in Shreveport have been peaceful. Chief Raymond and Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins addressed demonstrators during a Sunday march.

"The only way we're going to get the wide, sweeping change that we need to tear down the walls of racial injustice is that we all stick together," Perkins said.

Demonstrations in cities across the US began in May after the death of George Floyd, an African American man who died while in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department. Officers attempted to arrest Floyd on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill at a local store. Video of the event showed Derek Chauvin, a white officer, kneeling on Floyd's neck in an attempt to restrain him.