Trooper Not Entitled to Qualified Immunity for Stun Gun Incident

A Louisiana State Police trooper must face claims for excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment and assault and battery in violation of Louisiana law stemming from a traffic stop, after the Fifth Circuit ruled he was not entitled to qualified immunity.

When stopped in March 2020, Kevin Cobbins said he cooperated with law enforcement officers who commanded him to throw his car keys out of the vehicle and raise his hands.

Six Tangipahoa Parish sheriff’s officers drew their weapons as they approached Cobbins’s vehicle after Cobbins, according to body cam footage, didn’t get out of his vehicle as ...