Three police officers in Baton Rouge have been handed criminal charges following allegations that detained suspects were taken to a torture warehouse called the “Brave Cave” where they were sexually humiliated and abused. The investigation began when officers illegally damaged body camera footage after a man claimed he was beaten at a local station attached to the Brave Cave. According to a statement made by Police Chief Murphy Paul on Friday and obtained by NBC News, the first incident allegedly occurred in 2020 when officers of the anti-street crime Baton Rouge Area Violence Elimination (BRAVE) division arrested a man, brought him to a bathroom, made him disrobe to be searched, and then struck him with stun guns, causing a bag of suspected marijuana to fall from his “anal area.” Paul said the department was cooperating with the FBI and had nine ongoing cases. Deputy Chief Troy Lawrence Sr., Sgt. Jesse Barcelona, and Cpl. Todd Thomas were taken into custody, and a fourth officer, Cpl. Douglas Hughes, was charged, but Paul did not reveal whether he was arrested.
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