Police chief tases ‘non-combative’ suspect multiple times, cops say. Now he’s charged
A police chief in Louisiana was arrested and charged after state police said they received an excessive use of force complaint.
Elvan “Van” McDaniel, who heads the Homer Police Department, was charged with aggravated battery and malfeasance after an incident nearly a year ago involving tasing a suspect, according to a Louisiana State Police news release Nov. 6. The arrest is now affecting the city’s police services, officials said.
In response to a “reported theft” on Dec. 5, Homer police officers — including McDaniel — arrested a suspect in their investigation, state police said. During the arrest, McDaniel was said by state investigators to have shot the “non-combative” man multiple times while he was “handcuffed behind his back and lying on the ground.”
The suspect was later charged with multiple offenses, including for resisting arrest, officials said.
The Claiborne Parish District Attorney’s Office contacted the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations about a complaint that McDaniel used excessive force, so state investigators looked into the incident, officials said. Through a “lengthy investigation” of evidence, investigators determined McDaniel used excessive force during the arrest, state police said.
Both an arrest warrant and search warrants for McDaniel were conducted by state investigators. They included searches at the Homer Police Department and other areas involved in the arrest, officials said.
McClatchy News submitted a request to the Louisiana State Police on Nov. 8 for the arrest report and search warrants in McDaniel’s case. Those documents have not yet been received.
After being booked into Claiborne Parish Detention Center with a $200,000 bail, McDaniel reportedly was taken to the hospital with an unknown condition, according to KTBS.
As a result of McDaniel’s arrest, the Homer Police Department cannot respond to calls for aid, officials said. Instead, the Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office is taking over as the primary law enforcement contact for the area, with help from state troopers, according to the release.
The Claiborne Parish Sheriff’s Office did not immediately return McClatchy News’ request for comment.
The investigation remains ongoing from state police investigators, the release said, and additional charges and arrests could be possible.
Further information on the investigation into McDaniel will “be released as it becomes available,” a Louisiana State Police spokesperson told McClatchy News.
Homer is about 50 miles northeast of Shreveport.
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