Former Officer Sentenced for Tasing Handcuffed Suspect 6 Times

Former Hapeville Police Officer Shevoy Brown Sentenced To Federal Prison For Tasing Handcuffed Detainee And Filing False Report

Former Hapeville Police Officer Shevoy Brown was sentenced to federal prison after a jury convicted him of using unreasonable force against a handcuffed detainee and then writing a false report in an attempt to cover up what happened.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, Brown was sentenced on June 10, 2026, to three years and one month in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. Brown had been convicted by a federal jury on February 26, 2026.

The case centered on a June 3, 2024 incident at the Hapeville Police Department. Prosecutors said Hapeville officers arrested a man for trespassing at an apartment complex and transported him to police headquarters. The man was placed alone in a small holding cell and handcuffed to a stationary bench.

Federal prosecutors said the detainee posed no threat when Brown entered the cell twice and tased him at least six times, including in the genitals, without legal justification. Prosecutors said Brown stopped only after another officer intervened.

The repeated tasing caused injuries that required medical attention, and the detainee was taken from police headquarters by ambulance. Afterward, prosecutors said Brown wrote a false use-of-force report claiming he tased the man twice to gain compliance after the detainee supposedly kicked the holding cell door and window.

Trial evidence showed otherwise. Prosecutors said the victim had stopped hitting the window before Brown entered the cell and had never kicked anything. Brown also left out that the man was handcuffed to a bench and that Brown tased him four additional times.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said it arrested Brown in June 2024 after the Hapeville Police Department requested an independent investigation. At that time, Brown was charged at the state level with battery and violation of oath of office.

Brown was later federally indicted in February 2025. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the federal charges accused him of using unreasonable force and obstruction of justice.

Local reporting from FOX 5 Atlanta identified the victim as Robert Martin, a 64-year-old grandfather, and reported that the incident was captured on video. FOX 5 also reported that Hapeville fired Brown after the incident and that Martin’s attorney said he intended to pursue legal action against the city.

This case is another example of why police custody must never become a place where accountability disappears. A detainee who is handcuffed to a bench is under the control of the government. When an officer uses force in that setting, the public has a right to know whether that force was lawful, necessary, and honestly reported.

In Brown’s case, a federal jury found that it was not. The sentence sends a clear message that a badge does not authorize abuse, and a false report does not erase what happened inside a holding cell.

Sources

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