A harrowing case of alleged police brutality has emerged from the Union Parish Detention Center, where a former detainee claims to have suffered excessive force and denial of medical care at the hands of law enforcement officers. The complaint was filed by Dustin Rose in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana on October 25, 2024, naming Deputy Brady Byrnes among other defendants as responsible for his injuries.
Dustin Rose, a resident of West Monroe, Louisiana, accuses Deputy Brady Byrnes and several other officers from the Union Parish Sheriff's Department of violating his constitutional rights during an arrest on October 28, 2023. According to the complaint, Rose was handcuffed and compliant when Deputy Byrnes allegedly slammed his head into a wall twice without provocation. The incident left Rose with a laceration above his right eye that went untreated for days. "The assault left a blood stain on the wall from Rose’s head," reads one chilling passage from the filing. Despite his visible injuries and requests for medical attention, Rose claims he was only given a band-aid and denied proper care until two days later when he was finally sent to Union Parish General Hospital.
Rose's legal action asserts multiple causes against Byrnes and others involved, including Lt. Marc McCants, Matt Ford, Jordan Harris, and Sheriff Dusty Gates. The lawsuit cites violations under 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 and various amendments of the U.S. Constitution concerning excessive force and failure to intervene or provide necessary medical care. The plaintiff contends that these actions resulted in permanent disfigurement and loss of vision due to delayed treatment.
In addition to seeking compensatory damages for physical injuries and emotional distress, Rose is also pursuing punitive damages against individual defendants such as Byrnes, McCants, Ford, and Harris for their roles in what he describes as malicious conduct. The lawsuit underscores allegations of negligence in training within the sheriff's department regarding use-of-force policies.
Attorney Nelson W. Cameron represents Dustin Rose in this civil action (Case ID: 3:24-cv-01478), while details about defense counsel remain undisclosed at this time. As proceedings unfold under Judge [Name not provided], this case may further illuminate systemic issues within local law enforcement practices that continue to spark national conversations around police accountability.