海角大神

Federal prosecutors are investigating whether Louisiana State Police brass obstructed justice to protect the troopers seen on聽long-withheld body camera video聽punching, dragging, and stunning Black motorist Ronald Greene during his fatal 2019 arrest.

It marks聽a significant expansion of the federal inquiry聽that began as a blow-by-blow examination of the troopers鈥� violence against Mr. Greene and their apparent efforts to cover it up. Investigators are now moving up the chain of command, probing allegations that supervisors disregarded the video evidence, quashed a recommendation to arrest one of the troopers, and recently pressed a state prosecutor not to bring any charges, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press and a half dozen people familiar with the case.

鈥淭heir investigation is far beyond just use of force,鈥� said Ron Haley, an attorney for Mr. Greene鈥檚 family, who met with federal authorities at length last month. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e casting a very wide net.鈥�

The development comes as federal prosecutors are preparing to present their findings to a grand jury by the end of the summer, which could bring the first charges of any kind in a case that鈥檚 long been shrouded in secrecy.

Mr. Greene鈥檚 deadly arrest on May 10, 2019, came after he eluded a stop for a traffic violation and led troopers on a chase near Monroe at speeds topping 115 mph. Troopers initially told Mr. Greene鈥檚 relatives the 49-year-old died from a crash at the end of the chase, despite his car showing little damage, and only later did state police acknowledge a struggle.

It took 474 days for state police to launch an internal inquiry and officials from Gov. John Bel Edwards on down refused to release body camera video for more than two years. That was until the AP obtained and published it in May,聽showing white troopers beating Mr. Greene聽and dragging him by his ankle shackles, even as he pleaded for mercy and wailed, 鈥淚鈥檓 your brother! I鈥檓 scared! I鈥檓 scared!鈥�

A key point under scrutiny in the federal investigation came just a day after the AP published the video, when the head of the state police, Col. Lamar Davis, and his chief of staff, Lt. Col. Doug Cain, made a hastily arranged attempt to dissuade state prosecutors from charging troopers in the Greene case, according to several people familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren鈥檛 authorized to discuss it.

Mr. Davis and Mr. Cain traveled to District Attorney John Belton鈥檚 office in Ruston 鈥� more than 200 miles north of Baton Rouge 鈥� on May 20 to review the video frame by frame and make the case that the troopers鈥� actions were justified. Mr. Belton, who told colleagues he was deeply disturbed by the footage, referred the case to federal authorities in September 2019 but has not ruled out prosecuting the troopers at the state level.

Capt. Nick Manale, a state police spokesman, said the agency is continuing to cooperate with the federal investigation and 鈥渋ntends to release all documents and investigative files at the appropriate time.鈥� He said the federal inquiry 鈥減revents the release of further information.鈥�

Mr. Davis has declined repeated interview requests. Mr. Cain did not respond to messages seeking comment.

鈥淲hy would the top command people be so adamant on protecting their officers when it鈥檚 apparent that the officers didn鈥檛 do everything right?鈥� said Andrew Scott, a former Boca Raton, Florida, police chief who testifies as an expert witness in use-of-force cases. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a culture and a custom and practice that this type of behavior is condoned or winked at by command staff and has been allowed to perpetuate itself over the course of many years.鈥�

Of particular interest to federal investigators is why the state police failed to arrest Chris Hollingsworth, a veteran trooper who can be seen on the video stunning Mr. Greene and was later recorded聽boasting to a colleague聽that he choked Mr. Greene and beat the 鈥渆ver-living f鈥撯�撀爋ut of him.鈥�

Seven days after Mr. Greene鈥檚 death, on May 17, 2019, state police detectives told their superiors that Mr. Hollingsworth should be arrested for聽turning off his dashboard and body cameras聽before the high-speed pursuit and later when he realized one of the devices was recording him talking about beating Mr. Greene, according to notes written by the lead investigator, Det. Albert Paxton.

But state police commanders in Monroe pressured their detectives to hold off, the notes say. Among those present at the meeting were Capt. John Peters, the regional troop commander, and Bob Brown, then the major over statewide criminal investigations.

The meeting became 鈥渧ery heated,鈥� the notes say, with the commanders warning that charging Mr. Hollingsworth would cause investigators to 鈥渉ave issues with patrol.鈥�

The detectives also suggested Mr. Hollingsworth be charged with aggravated battery. Mr. Peters responded, 鈥淲hat is evidence, and who decides?鈥�

Mr. Hollingsworth was never arrested and was only fired in September after he admitted to bashing Mr. Greene鈥檚 head with a flashlight 鈥� a use of deadly force internal investigators said was unjustified. The 46-year-old聽died in a single-car highway crash聽in Monroe hours after he learned of his firing.

Also under scrutiny, according to those familiar with the probe, is why the state police failed to provide the body camera video and even the most basic police reports for the official autopsy. It listed Mr. Greene鈥檚 cause of death as 鈥渃ocaine induced agitated delirium complicated by motor vehicle collision, physical struggle, inflicted head injury, and restraint.鈥� The forensic pathologists, however, say the lack of supporting materials left them unable to determine whether the crash or excessive police force caused his most severe injuries.

The FBI recently聽asked the pathologist聽to make another attempt at such a conclusion accounting for the evidence state police initially failed to provide.

As federal prosecutors home in on possible obstruction charges, state police leaders have redoubled their hunt for leaks in a case that鈥檚 steeped the agency in controversy and divided its ranks.

At least six high-ranking state police officials聽鈥� including Mr. Peters, Mr. Brown, and Col. Kevin Reeves, the head of the state police at the time of Mr. Greene鈥檚 death have retired amid the growing fallout from the case.

Last month, Mr. Peters announced his departure as head of the Monroe-based Troop F 鈥� which has become聽notorious聽for its harsh treatment of Black suspects 鈥� with an email saying, 鈥淪hamefully, we have now seen there are those within our own ranks tearing this agency apart from the inside.鈥�

Mr. Peters didn鈥檛 mention in his email that he recently received a 32-hour suspension for signing off on a use-of-force report without reviewing the body camera footage of his troopers beating yet another Black motorist, according to state police records. Mr. Peters, who was among the commanders to sign off on the use-of-force reports in Mr. Greene鈥檚 case, told investigators it was 鈥渃ommon practice鈥� for him to approve such documents without reviewing the materials. He declined to comment to AP.

Leading the federal inquiry is Assistant U.S. Attorney John Luke Walker, a Lafayette-based prosecutor who won accolades for his role in a sprawling child exploitation case that resulted in dozens of convictions.

Mr. Walker is also investigating Louisiana state troopers鈥� beatings of at least two other Black motorists. They include Aaron Larry Bowman, who was pulled over near his Monroe home just 20 days after Mr. Greene鈥檚 death and was struck 18 times with a flashlight, leaving him with a broken jaw, ribs, and wrist, and a gash to the head.

Trooper Jacob Brown, the son of Bob Brown, was arrested in December on second-degree battery and malfeasance charges in Mr. Bowman鈥檚 beating. Mr. Brown did not respond to requests for comment.

Mr. Bowman鈥檚 lawyer, Donecia Banks-Miley, said federal prosecutors met with her and her client in June and showed them Mr. Brown鈥檚 2019 body camera footage for the first time.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been covered up for so long,鈥� Ms. Banks-Miley said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just been covered up.鈥�

This story was reported by The Associated Press.