Brickbat: You've Got To Go

Louisiana State Police arrested two former Alexandria Police Department officers, Austin Butler and Dylan Tritle, after they were fired for using excessive force in three separate incidents in July 2025. Both were charged with malfeasance in office, while Butler faces a charge of simple battery. In one case, the officers responded to a noise complaint at a hotel and ordered a man to leave the premises, but they got aggressive, blocking his path while he grabbed his belongings. When his stuff accidentally bumped one of the officers, they tackled him, arrested him, and even threw his possessions in the trash. In another incident, the officers told a bar patron to exit; he asked them for a ride, which they declined, and when he approached their patrol car, they tackled and beat him.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

“We clipped the sour fruit off of that tree immediately, and we are here to be transparent about it and to ensure that transparency,” said Chief Gremillion during the briefing.

Immediately would have meant there wouldn't have been a second and then a third brutalization, but kudos for doing it eventually.

[Chumby]

Sarc would hire them to protect the Capitol.

[Vernon Depner]

We need these guys in the border patrol.

[LIBtranslator]

Dude, in a looter Kleptocracy, that's what cops are for. The reference to transparency is an illustration of "transparent liar" as in vernacular usage.

[Longtobefree]

Wait a minute!
Walking towards an officer automatically puts him in fear of his life.
Just beating the crap out of those aggressors instead of shooting them was a kindness.
And since no dogs were shot, it is clear that qualified immunity applies.

[AT]

OK, so first video - yea, the black dude was being a belligerent jerk, but nothing rising to the need for physical restraint. In fact, at 2:15, it becomes nearly impossible to side with the cop, because he's clearly escalating and throwing around his authority. Frankly, to the point of egging him on.

I'll give cops a reasonable degree of latitude when dealing with hostile confrontations - but this wasn't that. These guys were being needlessly antagonistic. (Now, that being said, one of the things that has me a little perplexed is how often the black dude's hands are concealed. Maybe they had a better view than their bodycam did, or maybe they didn't pick up on any hostile intent beyond the mouthy belligerence - but I would have expected that scene a little better controlled. "Get your things, slowly, announce your actions and don't make sudden movements.")

And then the takedown - absolutely nothing I could see warranted that. Best I could tell, black dude inadvertently brushed his hand (at best), and it's like you can see the moment when the cop decides he's going to rough him up. Not OK.

This video shows me two things: Overeager, Undertrained. Officers who lack the patience and self-discipline for the job.

Second video. Intoxey asleep at the bar. Really hard to get a bead on that one from the background noise - but again, not seeing anything that can be considered hostile from Intoxey. They certainly weren't there to arrest him for D&D. And, after a few listens, I did hear where he calmly and politely asked for a ride.

So, that's kind of a funny situation. Bit of a risk-balance going on there, because there's potential for liability either way. If he claims harm during the safe transport, that's a problem. If he gets hurt or causes harm (say he steps out into traffic), that's also a problem.

Safe transport is usually officer discretion. Community service that helps keep the police on the same wavelength as the citizenry, but not an obligation. But the more common approach these days is to help them arrange transport. I'm not going to MMQ it, but I would say that it's a reasonable ask of law enforcement in this situation. And if they weren't such pissants they could have been a little less impatient and a little more community servant here.

Then he approaches the car which they say has a K9 in it. That's a no-no.

Now, is it straight to tackle no-no? Again, little MMQ here, but probably not. Only if there was some imminent danger of that dog ripping his face off - but this clearly wasn't a "diving to save someone" tackle then, was it. If the firearm had come out and some harshly barked orders were issued, fine. But going straight to takedown after the dude had showed compliance? And, "All you had to do is leave you dumb f..." really doesn't lend him any defense. It indicates sort of a retaliatory mindset for the exasperating annoying of having to go roust a drunk.

Totality of the circumstances? This was the right call. These two shouldn't be cops.