Mardi Gras ended in unmitigated disaster late Tuesday night after a rouge officer identified only as Kobra tazed several paramedics and attempted to arrest them.
The altercation happened while Chief Rog Messmer and Lieutenant Phillip Aubin were attempting to restrain a high party goer. Police were called to the scene for a previous incident, but since all suspects had left, they turned to the paramedics instead.
One officer, identified as a rookie, tried to help the men restrain the victim. The other officer, however, carelessly fired his tazer into the fray. It hit one person, but because they were in contact with the rookie officer and the paramedics, the electrical current traveled through them freely.
After kicking Aubin violently in the ribs, Kobra proceeded to cuff the paramedic. He then turned to Messmer, and used the same force on the Chief, hitting him so hard that he fell backwards and hit his head on the road. Even though this rendered Messmer unconscious and caused a large amount of bleeding, the officer then put handcuffs on him as well.
The officer claimed he was detaining everyone until they understood what was going on, but even his partner realized that restraining the paramedics was a poor decision. Onlookers were shocked. One woman was even heard laughing at the absurdity of the situation.
It was only when his rookie partner asked him to release the men that he did so begrudgingly. Moments later, more paramedics arrived on scene to treat their coworkers after an alarm attached to Messmer alerted them of the situation.
On all accounts, the Chief is lucky to be alive. Had Kobra kept him ‘detained’ any longer, serious brain damage and blood lose could have occurred, possibly handicapping him for life, or even killing him.
Due to this incident, relations between the two departments, which have always held an unwritten truce, are now in uncertain waters and even more strained than usual.
