AUDIO: Louisiana trooper admits beating, choking Ronald Greene during fatal traffic stop

MONROE, La. (WAFB) - A Louisiana State Trooper, who is now deceased, is heard admitting he “beat the ever-living f---” out of a Black man during a struggle that followed a May 2019 pursuit.

The audio, obtained by WAFB-TV, is from the body-camera mic of Trooper Chris Hollingsworth.

Hollingsworth died in a single-car crash last week shortly after being told he was being fired as a result of the 2019 case.

In the audio, Hollingsworth goes on to say the man was “spitting blood everywhere” and then “all of a sudden he just went limp.”

The 2019 case involves Ronald Greene, who died after a law enforcement chase just north of Monroe, Louisiana.

Louisiana State Police (LSP) troopers have said the chase began after Greene did not stop when officers attempted to pull him over. Greene died at the scene.

Troopers initially blamed Greene’s death on injuries from a car crash at the end of the chase.

Here’s a full transcript of the 27-second audio clip:

Trooper Hollingsworth: (first portion is inaudible). And I beat the ever-living f--- out of him. We choked him and everything else, trying to get him under control. We finally got him in handcuffs when a third man got there. And, the son-of-a-b---- was still fighting, and was still wrestling with him and we tried to hold him down. He was spitting blood everywhere and all of a sudden he just went limp."

You can listen to the audio here:

Citing the ongoing investigation, authorities have not released Hollingsworth’s full body cam footage.

Louisiana State Police say they launched an investigation into Greene’s death the night it happened and turned over their findings to the Union Parish District Attorney’s office nearly a year ago.

A separate federal civil rights investigation into the case has also been launched.

In a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Greene’s family, they claim LSP failed to acknowledge a struggle between troopers and Greene.

In doing so, the attorney’s claim it’s unclear how any force used during that struggle may have contributed to his death.

“LSP continues to cooperate with the Union Parish District Attorney’s Office and federal officials,” an LSP spokesman said Thursday. “No further information will be released pending the conclusion of these investigations,” the spokesperson said.