Aurelien B., now 29, Pierre P., 37, and Philippe T. face charges of intentional violence committed in a group. They are also charged with forgery over an official report that investigators say was used to cover up what they did. For about five minutes he took around 30 punches and truncheon blows to the face and body, according to the investigation.
In 2024, a judge handed suspended jail sentences to three officers who inflicted irreversible rectal injuries on Theo Luhaka, a Black man, during a stop-and-search in 2017. Video in that case also contradicted the police account and set off nationwide protests.
In their arrest report, the officers claimed the producer had hit them and tried to seize a truncheon. Camera footage released several days later by the French media website Loopsider refuted that version.
The officers pushed the producer into the entrance of his office and beat him there. The assault was recorded by his studio's security cameras.
The filmed assault sparked nationwide outrage and renewed scrutiny of police violence and racism in France.
The policemen's lawyers declined to comment before the trial.
A medical report noted craniofacial trauma, a wound to the lip and scalp, and a complete rupture of his biceps tendon. He was unable to do his job for 45 days.
France's ombudswoman has said the officers used"racist insults"during the assault, according to four witnesses."I expect this trial to hold the police officers accountable,"the producer told AFP in a recent interview.