Hapeville officer arrested for violating oath, repeatedly using Taser on man in police custody

HAPEVILLE, Ga. — An officer accused of repeatedly using a Taser on a man without authorization was on probation with the Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council (POST) for a previous incident.

According to the GBI, Officer Shevoy Brown of Hampton was charged with battery and violating his oath after the Hapeville Police Department asked them to investigate a use-of-force incident.

Channel 2′s Tom Jones learned that Brown had been placed on two years’ probation by POST for an alleged attack on a teenager during his previous job in Clayton County. Brown was still on probation when he arrested Robert Martin Jr. at an apartment complex on Sims Street in Hapeville on June 3.

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According to Martin’s friends, the incident began when Brown was called to the apartments.

Iesha George, who lives in the same unit and is friends with Martin, said, “All I know is he got escorted from these apartments because they didn’t want him on the property.”

Once at the police headquarters, body camera footage showed Officer Brown deploying several Taser stuns on Martin without authorized cause. Investigators said Brown tased Martin once, left the cell, and then returned to repeatedly tase him all over his body, causing him to fall to the floor. Medical staff evaluated Martin following the incident.

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Hapeville police say Brown, who was hired in January 2022, was immediately placed on administrative leave.

The next day, June 4, Hapeville police asked the GBI to investigate Brown’s use of force.

On Friday, Brown was arrested and taken into custody at the Fulton County Jail on two charges of battery and violating his oath of office.

He was also “relieved of duty” following the investigation.

“The safety and well-being of all are of paramount importance to the City. The use of force by this officer was clearly outside of the guidelines of departmental Standard Operating Procedures. Brown operated alone during this incident and must be held accountable for his actions. The Hapeville Police Department is committed to maintaining the highest ethical standards of conduct and accountability among its ranks,” the department wrote in part.

Brown received a $15,000 bond. When Jones called Brown for his side fo the story, someone hung up on him.

The investigation remains ongoing, according to the GBI, and anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI Atlanta Regional Investigative Office at 770-388-5019.

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