CASE #1 – Beroid v. LaFleur et al. (WDLA)

Parish: Jefferson Davis

Police Department: Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office

The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, alongside Peter Sullivan, Rumbidzai Maweni, Ethan Severance, and Rachel Davidson of Foley Hoag LLP, sued officers of the Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office for the unlawful use of a Taser on Chance Beroid, a Black man, last March. The officers entered Mr. Beroid’s parents’ home without permission, and, in a matter of mere seconds, proceeded to Taser Mr. Beroid in front of his family members, despite the fact that he posed no threat to the officers and he was not attempting to flee.

As part of the ACLU of Louisiana’s litigation campaign against racist policing, this lawsuit seeks to hold law enforcement officers accountable for abusing their power in order to target Black Louisianans like Mr. Beroid. There is no justice when officers are permitted to brutalize and criminalize Black men with impunity.

The lawsuit alleges that the officers violated Mr. Beroid’s Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights by employing excessive force to effectuate Mr. Beroid’s arrest. It also alleges that the use of the Taser violated Mr. Beroid’s rights under the laws of Louisiana.

On a Saturday in March of 2020, Mr. Beroid and his fiancé got into a disagreement in front of his parents’ house following a date night, and three officers of the Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene. The situation was resolved; his fiancé left, and Mr. Beroid went inside his parents’ home.

The three officers did not leave. Instead, they huddled outside of the house for 30-45 minutes. Then, they knocked on the door and claimed that there were warrants out for Mr. Beroid’s arrest–although they refused to show Mr. Beroid the warrants and could not provide any details on what crimes he had allegedly committed despite his pleas for information.

The officers proceeded to push into the house without permission, insisting that Mr. Beroid come with them to the station. One officer grabbed Mr. Beroid by his shirt, causing him to slip out of it. Then, within a matter of seconds, and without provocation or warning, one of the officers shot a now shirtless Mr. Beroid with a Taser in his arm and back. With the barbs still in his flesh, the officers yelled at Mr. Beroid to fall to the floor, and he complied. He was subsequently handcuffed as he lay shirtless and face down on the floor with the Taser still attached to his skin.

Mr. Beroid’s parents witnessed the assault, terrified for their son. The officers did not care. In fact, an officer threatened Mr. Beroid’s father, saying that if he got any closer, “he would be sorry.” The same officer later stated that Mr. Beroid’s father “was about to get f* too.”

Mr. Beroid was charged with “resisting arrest” as a result of this incident, and he has been subjected to ongoing criminal proceedings since.

The defendants in the case are:

  • Christopher LaFleur, deputy in Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office
  • Ferrell LeBlanc, deputy in Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office
  • Naquan Senegal, deputy in Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff’s Office

Stay Informed