Parish: Jefferson
Police Department: Gretna Police Department
The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, along with Alston & Bird LLP, has sued numerous Gretna Police Department officers for the racist and brutal assault of a Black man last May. The lawsuit asserts that numerous Gretna Police Department officers violated Kevin Beauregard’s Fourth Amendment rights by assaulting Mr. Beauregard while he was handcuffed to a holding cell bench. It also claims that Gretna Police Department officers are liable under Louisiana state law for their violent treatment of Mr. Beauregard.
The officers’ assault of Mr. Beauregard is part of a disturbing pattern of discrimination and violence perpetrated by the Gretna Police Department against Black people. Mr. Beauregard seeks to hold the City of Gretna and its police officers accountable for their racially motivated and violent treatment of Louisianans.
On the night of the assault, Mr. Beauregard was handcuffed to a holding cell bench – and posed no threat to anybody – when an officer swung his fist at Mr. Beauregard’s face. Having avoided the initial blow from the officer, the officer then body slammed Mr. Beauregard and pushed the right side of his face into the cell wall. Another officer then uncuffed Mr. Beauregard and threw him to the holding cell floor, at which point several officers rushed into the cell, such that a total of six or seven officers all began to simultaneously beat Mr. Beauregard. While multiple officers held down Mr. Beauregard by his legs, one officer strangled Mr. Beauregard, another repeatedly kicked Mr. Beauregard in the ribs, and still another twisted the arm that was in a cast while shoving a knee into Mr. Beauregard’s side. Mr. Beauregard endured the brutal beating for at least ten to fifteen minutes.
As a result of the assault, Mr. Beauregard sustained multiple injuries, and he continues to experience a significant amount of stress and anxiety.
The defendants in the case include:
- Gretna Police Department Chief Arthur Lawson
- Gretna Police Department officers Christopher Breaux, Kayla English, Timothy Kennedy, and Roland Kindell, among others