Louisiana state troopers charged in beating of Black motorist Antonio Harris

State prosecutors have charged three Louisiana State Police troopers accused of beating a Black motorist, hoisting him to his feet by his hair braids and bragging in text messages that the "whoopin'" would give him "nightmares for a long time."

The misdemeanor simple battery charges in the 2020 arrest of Antonio Harris come amid mounting scrutiny of the state's premier law enforcement agency over allegations of excessive force — particularly against Black people — and an institutional instinct to cover it up.

Jacob Brown, Dakota DeMoss and George "Kam" Harper, who are white, were seen on body-camera video piling onto Harris following a high-speed chase that ended next to a cornfield in rural Franklin Parish, kneeing, slapping and punching him even though he had surrendered face down with his arms and legs splayed.