While working an off duty detail at Ochsner River Parish Hospital, Sunday, April 26, 2015, at 1:00 am, a St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office deputy requested additional deputies to assist with a combative patient. As the hospital staff prepared to transport the patient to another medical facility, he became combative with the hospital personnel and deputy in the emergency room, and a physical altercation ensued before assisting deputies arrived.
The deputy used his Taser device in an attempt to gain control of the situation, but the Taser device had no effect on the patient. The patient over powered the deputy and gained possession of the Taser device, and he used it to stun the deputy and to strike the deputy about the face and head. When assisting deputies arrived at the hospital, the patient complied with their orders to lie on the floor, and deputies restrained him.
The detail deputy, age 47, a fulltime patrol officer with 8 years expericence, sustained a laceration above his left eye that required stitches, multiple abrasions about his face and head, and a shoulder injury.
Because he was in the care of the hospital, the patient remained in the care of the hospital. Based on the information gathered during the investigation, investigators applied for an arrest warrant for the patient for aggravated second-degree battery, disarming a peace officer, and simple criminal damage to property.