Settlement reached in JPD police brutality case

A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed against a former Jackson police officer and the city of Jackson by a man whose beating was captured on video in 2017.

Carlos Moore, the attorney for Ladarius Brown, said at a Friday press conference that his client "received justice on all fronts."

Moore would not disclose the terms of the settlement, but said the amount covered Brown's medical bills and "made him whole." The city would not comment on the settlement or the amount absent a public records request.

Brown said he was happy the case has been resolved.

"I'm just happy that all of this is over and I can move on with my life," Brown said in front of Jackson City Hall.

Struggle captured on video

Brown's case against former JPD Officer Justin Roberts and the city of Jackson stems from a February 2017 police stop that was captured on cellphone video by a bystander. The release of the video went viral and was picked up by several online news organizations.

In it, Roberts is seen struggling with Brown, who is handcuffed, and appears to knee Brown before slamming him up against a trailer. Roberts then attempts to land a punch to Brown's face.

Media reports at the time said Brown was in a vehicle that a repo man was attempting to repossess when JPD got involved. Brown was not convicted of any crime.

JPD fired Roberts after a brief internal investigation. Roberts then found employment as an officer with the Jackson State University Campus Police, but was fired once university officials learned of the pending court case against him.

In November, Hinds County Justice Court Judge Don Palmer found Roberts guilty of simple assault.

Brown's case against Roberts and the city of Jackson was dismissed from U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi on Wednesday after the settlement was made.

Justice doubtful without video, attorney says

Moore said it is doubtful justice would have been achieved if there wasn't a video of the incident.

"When you see the video, I can feel every blow. I think that's what the jurors' felt too," he said.

Contact Justin Vicory at 769-572-1418 or jvicory@gannett.com. Follow @justinvicory on Twitter.