Louisiana officials have reached a tentative $4.8 mn settlement with the family of Ronald Greene, a Black motorist who died after a violent 2019 roadside arrest. Two people with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press the deal would end the family’s federal wrongful death lawsuit.
Greene’s death drew national attention after AP obtained video in 2021 showing Louisiana State Police officers punching, kicking, and using stun guns on him outside Monroe. Five white officers took part in the arrest.
The settlement still needs approval from the Louisiana Legislature. The two people who described the agreement had direct knowledge of the lawsuit but were not authorized to discuss it publicly.
Louisiana State Police spokesperson Capt. Russell Graham said the agency would not comment on settlement terms because the process has not been finalized. Greene’s mother, Mona Hardin, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Tuesday.
Federal prosecutors declined last year to bring charges against the troopers involved in Greene’s fatal arrest.
The decision came after years of scrutiny over how police handled the traffic stop, the chase, and the public account of his death.
For two years after Greene died, the circumstances remained hidden behind official statements and withheld footage. State police initially said Greene, 49, died after crashing into a tree during a high-speed pursuit.
The video later obtained by AP showed a different scene. Troopers used stun guns on Greene while he apologized for leading them on the chase.
Officers wrestled the unarmed Greene to the ground, placed him in a chokehold, and punched him. They dragged him facedown while his hands were cuffed and his legs were shackled, then left him lying on the ground without medical aid.
Troopers had first sought to stop Greene for an unspecified traffic violation. That routine stop turned into a pursuit, then into a fatal arrest that damaged public trust in Louisiana State Police.
In January 2025, during the final days of President Joe Biden’s administration, the Justice Department found Louisiana State Police had engaged in a statewide pattern of excessive force during arrests and vehicle pursuits. Several months later, the DOJ under President Donald Trump rescinded those findings.
