Ex-SC police officer charged with using excessive force on handcuffed suspect, SLED says
Following a nearly year-long investigation, a former police officer has been charged for allegedly using excessive force against a suspect in custody, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Louis Marion Smoak, 44, who worked with the North Charleston Police Department, was indicted on Dec. 4 by SLED for misconduct in office, according to a news release.
The incident occurred in November 2023 in a Walmart parking lot, where Smoak is accused of using excessive force on a suspect who was handcuffed and in custody, according to a news release.
Smoak punched the suspect in the chest with a closed fist before “forcefully” removing the person from a patrol car, causing their head to hit the pavement, the indictment said.
Smoak then went on to slam the victim’s head against the patrol vehicle, according to the indictment.
Officials have not identified the suspect or the injuries they may have sustained.
The Walmart is on Dorchester Road in Summerville.
The North Charleston Police Department requested that SLED investigate the incident on Jan. 22, the release said.
Smoak resigned from the police department in late January, according to personnel records from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. He began working for the department in November 2007.
Smoak was booked into the Dorchester County Detention Center late last month. He has since been released on a $20,000 personal recognizance bond, according to court records.
