A Black man beaten by a white police officer in Jackson, Louisiana, at a traffic stop has settled an excessive force and discrimination lawsuit with the help of the ACLU.
The lawsuit settlement was announced by the ACLU on April 4, according to the Louisiana Illuminator.
According to the lawsuit, Craig White was beaten by Officer Travis Clay Depew on Aug. 6, 2020, at a traffic stop over Depew’s allegedly having an issue with White being in a long-term relationship with a white woman.
Depew pulled White over at approximately 8 p.m. on Charter Street in Jackson. Depew took White’s license and registration before asking him about his common-law wife.
“What is your old lady up to these days?” asked Depew. “I don’t know,” replied White. “She’s at home, I guess.”
Depew then ordered White out of his vehicle and tried to search him. White said that Depew lunged at him and began to “aggressively touch” him, so White stepped back and said “No.” That’s when Depew attacked White, according to the lawsuit.
“Defendant Depew quickly escalated the incident by violently tackling Plaintiff White to the ground for no reason, slamming his head into the pavement and leaving Plaintiff White with lasting injuries.”
The lawsuit also contends that Depew should have never been hired by the Jackson Marshal’s Office after he was terminated from the Pointe Coupee Police Department in 2017 and “charged with the crimes of stalking and malfeasance in office.”
Depew continued his troubling misconduct on the job following his attack on White. The police officer was accused of choking a Black teenager on Feb. 5, 2021, in the parking lot of the Main Street Market gas station. Depew also called the teen the N-word repeatedly during the assault and asked him if he wanted to fight as he pulled him out of a vehicle by his neck. Depew was arrested for the crime the following May and charged with malfeasance while in office and simple battery.
According to witnesses on the scene, another police officer had to pull Depew off the teenager to get him to stop choking the then-16-year-old. The teenager’s attorney, Ashley Greenhouse, said that they were thankful for the actions of the second officer.
“We wouldn’t be here without him so we’re just thankful for that involvement of the other officer because this could have ended really bad,” said Greenhouse, adding that Depew’s body camera was not on during the attack. “He was equipped, but there’s no video from it of course, and we’re not surprised by it.”
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