Ronald Greene

People

Ronald Greene

Outcome

unknown

On May 10, 2019, Ronald Greene, a 49-year-old Black barber from Monroe, Louisiana, died following a violent arrest by Louisiana State Police troopers after a high-speed chase. For nearly two years, state police told Greene's family that he had died from injuries sustained when his car crashed into a tree during the pursuit. This account was contradicted when body camera footage, suppressed for over two years, emerged showing troopers stunning Greene with a taser while he was still in his car, then beating him, choking him, and dragging him face-first by his ankle shackles while he was handcuffed. Greene can be heard on the video saying "I'm scared! I'm scared!" as troopers shocked and beat him. The footage showed that after subduing Greene, officers left him face-down and unresponsive for approximately nine minutes without rendering medical assistance. The initial coroner's report listed Greene's death as a motor vehicle accident, and the state police crash report omitted any mention of troopers using force. A trooper was recorded bragging that he "beat the ever-living f--- out of" Greene. One of the most culpable officers, Chris Hollingsworth, died in a single-vehicle crash in 2020, hours after learning he would be fired. In December 2021, five Louisiana law enforcement officers were charged with state crimes ranging from negligent homicide to malfeasance. However, no officer received jail time. In October 2024, trooper Kory York, who faced the most serious charges after video showed him dragging Greene, pleaded no contest to reduced misdemeanor battery charges and received one year of probation instead of prison. The U.S. Department of Justice opened a sweeping civil rights investigation into the Louisiana State Police amid mounting evidence that the agency tolerated beatings of mostly Black men. The case exposed a culture of impunity within the state police, with investigators documenting at least a dozen similar cases over the preceding decade.