A former Louisiana police officer was convicted this week for a brutal assault of a non-violent loitering suspect. During the incident, he tasered the suspect in the base of his skull.
Dylan Hudson, 36, also can be seen on video striking the victim in the head with a loaded pistol and kicking him in the face. According to the Department of Justice, these actions were a “potentially deadly” use of force.
Per a 2012 study, researchers found that “the length of a Taser dart is sufficient to allow brain penetration,” and at least one person had had their frontal lobe injured by a taser.
“This defendant’s conduct, captured on video, was appalling,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “When an officer so grievously abuses the authority entrusted to him by his community, the Justice Department will respond with the full force of the law.”
Hudson was convicted on one charge of deprivation of rights under color of law following a four-day trial, said the Justice Department. His fellow officers from Shreveport, La. Testified that the loitering suspect was non-violent. They also said that the defendant’s repeated violations of training and policy created a danger not only to the suspect, but to others as well.
“This is the first trial resulting in a guilty verdict that we have ever had in the history of this district where the defendant was a member of the Shreveport Police Department,” said U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown for the Western District of Louisiana.
Now, Hudson faces up to 10 years in prison. He is expected to be sentenced Oct. 26.
“Mr. Hudson’s despicable actions have no place in law enforcement,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Williams Jr. of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. “The FBI and its partners are dedicated to protecting the public from individuals who misuse the trust and authority of the badge.”
The maximum penalty for the charged crime is 10 years of imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 26.
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